About the Orchestra

The Bach Society Orchestra, Harvard's premier undergraduate chamber orchestra, is devoted to the study and performance of works for smaller orchestras, from intimate chamber pieces to mid-sized symphonies, taken from a wide range of historical periods. Each season includes four performances throughout the year, often including student and professional collaborations with guest soloists or Harvard choral groups.

Popularly known as BachSoc, the Bach Society Orchestra is staffed, managed, and conducted entirely by students. Each year, the members of the orchestra select a student, always an undergraduate, to be their conductor for the following year. In turn, at the beginning of the new year the inaugurated conductor reauditions every member of the orchestra, ensuring that the quality of the orchestra remains high. BachSoc's rehearsals and concerts provide a refreshingly egalitarian ethos combined with the highest standards of musical performance.
Frequently Asked Questions

Music Director

Reuben Stern '20, Music Director

Reuben Stern is a Mathematics concentrator living in Dunster House. An experienced bassoonist, Reuben has performed dozens of concerts in the Greater Boston area with the Boston Youth Symphony, Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, and contemporary music ensemble Alea III. Additionally, he has toured domestically and internationally as a member of the 2014 and 2016 iterations of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, under the direction of David Robertson, Christoph Eschenbach, and Valery Gergiev. Outside of music, Reuben enjoys philosophy, creative writing, and calligraphy, and at one point in his life aspired to be a close-up magician. He is thrilled to be working with the Bach Society orchestra for the '17-'18 season!

More about Reuben

Our Officers

More about our officers

Our Musicians

Conductors

Violin

Viola

Cello

Flute & Piccolo

Oboe

Clarinet

Bassoon

French Horn

Trumpet

Trombone

Orchestral Piano

Competitions

The Bach Society Orchestra hosts two annual competitions - the Concerto competition and the Composition competition - to promote the recognition of musical excellence at Harvard.

More Details
Auditions

Orchestral auditions for the 2018-2019 season are now closed.
To learn more about the process, please click on the link below.

Auditions
Support the Orchestra

For 60 years, the Bach Society Orchestra has been made possible by people like you. Consider making a gift to the Orchestra to support the music you love.

Learn more

Bach Society Orchestra
Music Building
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

bachsoc@hcs.harvard.edu

©2019 The Harvard University Bach Society Orchestra

The Bach Society Orchestra is a a student-run organization at Harvard College; The Harvard name is a trademark of the President and Fellows of Harvard College and are used with permission of Harvard University.