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Advocate editorial board opinion: Bach festival brings culture to Victoria

  • By the Advocate Editorial Board
  • Originally published June 6, 2012 at 6:42 p.m., updated June 6, 2012 at 6:42 p.m.

There is something about music that fascinates people. It speaks to the inner parts of us and draws us together.

So we are excited and proud that Victoria is once again hosting the Victoria Bach Festival, bringing in people from across the nation to appreciate some of the best music written by famous composers from across the world and history.

The festival has already begun and performances began on Tuesday. It kicked off with the New Young Artists concert, featuring Soprano Esteli Gomez and bassoonist Laura Miller. The pair performed with Faith DeBow, pianist and New Young Artist Coordinator, at First United Methodist Church and then the three performers went on to the Boys and Girls Club to teach Victoria kids about playing instruments and making music.

The theme for this year's festival features American composers, but also includes performances of Wolfgang Mozart's the romantic serenade No. 10 "Grant Partita," George Frideric Handel's "Dixit Dominu" and Arvo Pärt's "Berliner Messe."

There are still six performances left beginning Thursday at noon with a show titled "Mallets and Melodies" at the Golden Gecko in downtown Victoria.

The festival has been in Victoria since it was founded in 1976 by University of Houston-Victoria professor David Urness and has been expanding over the years. We are pleased to see such a successful display of culture endure for so long in Victoria. This festival is evidence to the rest of the world that Victoria is more than just another Texas town. Victoria supports the arts and encourages people to cherish and enjoy the work of masters.

We encourage our readers to take this opportunity to enjoy these unique and professional performances. This is a chance to see musicians from across the nation perform a selection from some of the best classical music in history.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.