Emily Isaacson is very enthusiastic. About music, her kids, her kids listening to music, getting you to listen to music. It is contagious to be around her. You find yourself nodding along as though you can read music when she talks theory and baroque. She is the artistic director and conductor of the Portland Bach Experience that is happening from June 8-17.
It has been arranged that there are 5 ways to experience Portland Bach.
The Concert - The Salon - Portland - The Bachanalia - Understanding
You don't need to go to all of them, but if you bump into Emily, you may end up staying through each piece, going to all the after parties and wondering how you signed up for singing lessons of the baroque style. Really, her passion is that contagious. You will leave the meeting wanting more Bach, wanting more music, and perhaps even a little tipsy. Come on, you get it, Bachanalia, if Bacchus was listening to Bach, it was certainly part of the soundtrack to the parties he was throwing. And most likely the reverse was true, Johan Sebastian was quite the raconteur, challenging an oboist to a duel, I mean, an oboist? And legend has it, he was often fueled on gin. He was conjuring Bacchus while composing. Or maybe that was Mozart, I get it confused, but these names, they were the rock'n'rollers of another time. You might not think the music of the classics has as much passion as Metalica or The Ramones, think again, they were writing with their hearts and pouring blood onto page.
Go hear Bach in the Portland Bach Experience, and listen when Emily Isaacson starts talking about it. You too will feel better.
