Every year since 2009, on the Saturday nearest his birthday, First Lutheran Church has presented the Boston Bach Birthday, a day-long celebration of the Johann Sebastian Bach and his music. The experience is filled with solo and chamber performances by organists, instrumentalists, and singers, and FLC's world-class pipe organ figures prominently. The day features a delicious German lunch (tickets $20 at the door) and a Vespers service with Bach cantata. Admission is free to all musical events. While some stay for the whole day, and others attend but one or two events, all leave having been musically and spiritually edified.

9am Jonathan Wessler, organ
The Neumeister Chorales (complete)
The Eight Christmas Fughettas

10:35am Young People's Concert
Musette in D, BWV Anh.126
Suite no. 1 in G, BWV 1007—3. Courante
Partita no. 3 in E, BWV 1006—3. Gavotte en Rondeau
Sonata in G, BWV 1019—1. Allegro
Minuet in G, BWV Anh.114
Concerto in d for two violins (“Double”), BWV 1043—mvts. 1 & 3

11:05am Cynthia Freivogel, violin & Artem Belogurov, harpsichord
Sonata in E, BWV 1016
“Chromatic” Fantasia & fugue in d, BWV 903
Sonata in D, TWV 41:D1—Georg Philipp Telemann
Sonata in c, BWV 1017

12pm German Lunch
Tickets $20/$10 (for sale at the door)

1:10pm Grant Smith, organ
Concerto in d after Vivaldi, BWV 596
An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 653
Pange Lingua—Nicolas de Grigny
Canonic Variations on the chorale Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her, BWV 769a
Toccata in d, BuxWV 155—Dieterich Buxtehude

2:00pm Cynthia Freivogel, violin & Artem Belogurov, harpsichord
Prelude in a, BWV 922
Aria in a & three variations, BuxWV 249—Dieterich Buxtehude
Sonata in a, JunP IV.2—Johann Georg Pisendel
Sonata in D, IGM 16—Georg Muffat
Sonata in G, BWV 1019

2:55pm Brandon Santini, organ
Prelude & fugue in b, BWV 544
Sonata in e, BWV 528
Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig, BWV 768

3:45pm Calvin Kotrba, piano
Fantasy & fugue in a, BWV 904
Sonata no. 28 in A, op. 101, mvts. 3 & 4—Ludwig van Beethoven

4:05pm Beantown Baroque
Sonata in C, DurG13—Johann Gottlieb Goldberg
Sonate da camera in g, op. 2, no. 6—Arcangelo Corelli
Quatuor no. 5, TWV 43:a1—Georg Philipp Telemann
Sonata in d, RV 64—Antonio Vivaldi
Sonata in G, BWV 1038

5pm Vespers
In allen meinen Taten, BWV 97
Motets by Johannes Heugel and Michael Praetorius