St. Andrew's Bach Society Artistic Director Lindabeth Binkley, who in five seasons grew the summer recital series into one of the most anticipated concert events of the year, has stepped down.
For the past two seasons, Binkley has commuted from Michigan, where she teaches at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. She said the commute as well as an unexpected family situation that cropped up early this year, led to her decision.
"I still have angst about it because I love that organization so much," Binkley said from her Michigan home days after the society's Board of Directors named Ben Nisbet to replace her. "It's time to pass the torch. It's growing so much and I'm not there to help with those growing pains being so far away."
Nisbet, a Tucson Symphony Orchestra violinist who is co-founder and music director of the critically acclaimed Artifact Dance Project and part of the exceptional Kingfisher String Quartet, said he has twin goals for the society. He wants to grow its board of directors from the current five members in hopes of boosting its fundraising abilities, and he wants to integrate more collaborative arts into the programs.
"We want to do concerts maybe using dancers, maybe using actors. Poetry. Things like that," he said. "Expanding the overall concert experience. âĻ Helping audiences to experience (the music) in new and exciting ways keeps it fresh for them and for us."
"Our audiences for the Bach Society are really sophisticated," he added. "People who go to classical music concerts in July really have to want to do it. The fact that they come and pack every concert we put on says they are passionate."
Binkley took over the society in 2007 and called on her vast connections in Tucson's music community to program concerts that were hits with audiences. Tickets often sold out weeks in advance and the concerts became so popular that the society a couple years ago stopped selling tickets at the door for most performances because Binkley felt bad having to turn people away.
Binkley made it her mission as artistic director to program exciting music performed by exciting professional musicians, many of them her colleagues at the TSO, where she was principal oboist, and the University of Arizona.
Nisbet, who served as the board's vice president for three years and oversaw concert operations the past two seasons, said he will continue what Binkley started, bringing in the city's finest musicians in chamber settings to perform a wide range of repertoire, including works by the society's namesake composer Bach.
The society kicks off its 24th season June 17 with Tucson pianist Alexander Tentser performing solo piano works including Bach's popular "Well Tempered Clavier" and Beethoven's famous "Pathetique" sonata.
The centerpiece concert will be the St. Andrew's Bach Society chamber orchestra under the baton of Bruce Chamberlain performing works by Bach, Handel and Stravinsky on Aug. 12.
On July 15, Nisbet joins pianist Elena Miraztchiyska for a concert of works by Mozart and Brahms. The season concludes Aug. 24 with the Bella Carita Winds performing Mozart.
Concerts are at Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St. Tickets are $10, $5 for students through standrewsbach.org
Did you know?
The St. Andrew's Bach Society got its start in 1988 as a cultural gift to the community from St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, but it wasn't until Christina Jarvis took it over in 1995 and inaugurated the summer concert series the following year that the society gained prominence. Jarvis was artistic director for 10 years before handing it over to Lindabeth Binkley, who has grown the series in stature and budget. The society will celebrate its 25th season next summer and newly installed Artistic Director Ben Nisbet said that season's centerpiece concert will be announced soon.
