Sonoma Bach’s mission is to bring together and nurture a community of music-lovers to share in the magnificent experience of early music. Music from the distant past—sacred and worldly, vocal and instrumental, solemn and joyful—can speak powerfully to today’s audiences, both to those already familiar with its pleasures and beauties and traditions, but also to those for whom the music is brand new.

Sonoma Bach’s three vocal ensembles and a period instrument orchestra prepare and perform an annual series of seven concert sets. Most concerts take place in the Green Music Center’s 240-seat Schroeder Hall, with its live acoustics, intimate audience experience, and wonderful Brombaugh pipe organ. Sonoma Bach also presents site-specific concerts designed for special places such as the domed and frescoed Church of St. Seraphim

The Green Music Center’s Schroeder Hall is a vision inspired by Donald Green and Robert Worth, the founding music director of Sonoma Bach. In 2010, Bob retired as Professor of Music at Sonoma State University, where he taught choral music and many other subjects for 27 years. He was involved in the Green Music Center project from the start, serving as consultant to the architects on such issues as acoustics, choral performance facilities and the Brombaugh pipe organ. Bob is a Sonoma State alumnus, having received his BA in music there in 1980, and his MA in historical musicology at UC Berkeley in 1982.

Sonoma Bach’s 33rd season, entitled Deep Dives, is about seven musical explorations, each delving deeply into the works and character of a single composer. We will be featuring the works of William Byrd, Heinrich Schütz, G.F. Handel, Samuel Schein, Ludwig Senfl, Claudio Monteverdi, and of course, J.S. Bach. 

Sonoma Bach is proud to be a community resource through this essential activity of music-making! Learn more at www.sonomabach.org

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Dianna Morgan, Sonoma Bach’s Executive Director, notes that Sonoma Bach’s collaboration with the Green Music Center is beneficial for many reasons. The Green Music Center provides Sonoma Bach with access to a world-class performance venue and rehearsal spaces, allowing the ensembles to present concerts in a professional and high-quality setting. Partnering with the Green Music Center allows Sonoma Bach to reach a larger audience and to attract new patrons who may not already know about our offerings. This collaboration can help raise the profile of Sonoma Bach in our local community and beyond. Sonoma Bach and the Green Music Center are committed to music education and outreach, offering a range of programs for both students and community members.  Our partnership with The Green Music Center gives students access to the Brombaugh Organ and world-class venues, helping to engage and inspire the next generation of musicians and music lovers.

Check out Green Music Center founding supporter and former Sonoma State faculty, Jayne De Lawter’s Sonoma Bach story

 Jayne De Lawter has sung with Sonoma Bach since day one,   having been with Bob Worth’s SSU choirs since the mid-1990’s.   As an SSU faculty member for 30 years, she and her husband,   Ken Koppelman, welcomed the GMC as the flagship cultural   center for the North Bay and contributed early by naming a box   in the larger hall. Jayne also introduced Chanticleer to both   halls in her role as the first manager of the Chanticleer in   Sonoma choral workshops.  When asked her favorite place in   the world, Jayne said “I love singing in Schroeder Hall! It’s right up there with hiking in the high sierras and viewing elephants in the wild.”