Portland Bach Experience brings classical music out of the concert hall and into everyday lives — rowdy shows in breweries, fascinating open rehearsals, and close-up concerts with breathtaking musical talent- all designed to feel less like a performance and more like an invitation.

This year, expect to be surprised – twice.

First, by absence: Bach removes the violins entirely from his Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, handing the spotlight to violas and low strings instead. Sit close and you'll feel it in your chest before you understand why — something dark, muscular, and impossible to sit still through.

Then, by discovery: in 18th-century Venice, the hottest ticket in town wasn't the opera — it was an all-female orchestra at the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children who trained, performed, and premiered new works by their teacher, Antonio Vivaldi. Hear what they built, and you'll understand why audiences crossed the city to listen.