Seattle Bach Festival

What Seattle Bach Festival does

Seattle Bach Festival is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2024 by baroque violinist Tekla Cunningham to present performances of the masterworks of J.S. Bach and other Baroque composers across the greater Seattle area. The organization's core offering is live concert programming — including oratorios, cantatas, passions, and chamber music — staged at partner venues such as First Baptist Church Seattle, Cornish Playhouse Theater, Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, and Christ Church in Tacoma. Programming is delivered using historically informed performance practice on period instruments, with the second season (2024/2025) presented in collaboration with the Evergreen Ensemble for choral works and featuring visiting baroque specialists for master classes.

Complementing the concert slate, the festival runs adult education through the Cantata Trail workshops hosted by Miguel Rodé, professional-development master classes for emerging baroque performers, and a structured volunteer program that includes high school service learning opportunities. The underlying "technology" is artistic methodology rather than software: period instruments, ornamentation conventions, and historically informed ensemble practices led by credentialed Northwest and visiting early-music specialists.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining ticket sales and subscription packages, eight named giving tiers ranging from Well-Tempered Friends ($1-$249) to Grand Visionaries ($50,000+), and the Continuo Circle monthly recurring donation program. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the festival's website and partner venue box offices. Marketing relies on organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletter, content marketing through program notes and artist bios, and community-driven word-of-mouth. The festival is founder-led by Tekla Cunningham, with governance from a board including a UW Professor Emerita of organ and harpsichord, a baroque trumpet faculty member at Indiana University, and a technology executive from Snowflake.

Name

Seattle Bach Festival

Legal name

Seattle Bach Festival

Website

https://seattlebachfestival.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts - Baroque and Classical Music Festival

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Virtual Concerts & Music Festivals (Livestreamed Performances) (MPAGAOAD)

Keywords

• Baroque music performances
• Classical music concerts
• Early music education
• Historically informed performance
• Nonprofit performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual concert tickets and subscription packages for the festival's second season of performances
2. Donations and Sponsorships: Tax-deductible charitable contributions through named giving tiers ranging from Well-Tempered Friends ($1-$249) to Grand Visionaries ($50,000+), plus monthly recurring donations through the Continuo Circle program
3. Educational Programs: Revenue from adult education programs including the Cantata Trail workshops and master classes with visiting artists

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Seattle Bach Festival is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) performing arts organization that produces and presents live concert performances of J.S. Bach and Baroque masterworks (including oratorios, cantatas, passions, chamber music, and solo works) at venues across the Seattle area. It also offers educational programming such as masterclasses and the Cantata Trail adult education workshops, supported primarily through ticket sales and charitable donations.

Product overview

Seattle Bach Festival is a nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 2024 by baroque violinist Tekla Cunningham. It offers a portfolio of live music programs including concert performances of Bach and Baroque masterworks, educational masterclasses with renowned baroque specialists, and the Cantata Trail adult education program. The festival collaborates with the Evergreen Ensemble for chorus performances and relies on donor support through its donation programs including the Continuo Circle monthly giving initiative. Volunteer programs support festival operations alongside high school service learning opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Concert Performances Live performances of Bach and Baroque masterworks — including oratorios, cantatas, passions, chamber music, and solo works — presented at venues throughout the Seattle area (First Baptist Church Seattle, Cornish Playhouse Theater, Trinity Lutheran Church Lynnwood, Christ Church Tacoma). Audience: Seattle-area adults and families interested in baroque music.
• Master Classes Educational masterclasses led by renowned baroque specialists, providing professional development opportunities for up-and-coming young artists on baroque performance practices, historical instruments, ornamentation, and ensemble playing. Audience: emerging young baroque musicians and advanced performers.
• Cantata Trail: Exploring Bach's Artistry Adult education program exploring Johann Sebastian Bach's music through virtual and in-person workshops focusing on cantatas, historical context, liturgical purpose, and musical analysis, guided by Miguel Rodé. Audience: adult music enthusiasts seeking deeper engagement with Bach's vocal works.
• Chorus Collaboration with Evergreen Ensemble Choral performances delivered in collaboration with the Evergreen Ensemble, a professional vocal ensemble directed by David Hendrix, providing chorus performances for Seattle Bach Festival's second season. Audience: festival concert attendees.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evergreen EnsemblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Seattle Bach Festival collaborates with the Evergreen Ensemble, a professional vocal ensemble based in the greater Seattle area, for their second season chorus. The ensemble brings together some of the finest singers in the Pacific Northwest and is directed by David Hendrix.
• The Cantata TrailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Seattle Bach Festival partners with The Cantata Trail to deliver educational workshops exploring Bach's cantatas and vocal works. Miguel Rodé hosts virtual and in-person workshops introducing pieces through historical context and musical analysis.
• Artful JourneysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe festival partners with Artful Journeys and The Cantata Trail to organize a trip to Bachfest Leipzig 2026 in Leipzig, Germany - Bach's stomping grounds for most of his life.
• Voice of the ViolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Voice of the Viol ensemble for the 'Til Death Do Us Part' program featuring music for weddings and funerals from the Bach Family Archive.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aspen Music Festival and School: A major classical summer festival combining performances with an educational school, including period-instrument programming. Comparable in combining ticketed festival concerts with master-class-style training.
• Portland Baroque Orchestra: Established Pacific Northwest period-instrument orchestra with a full subscription season and education programs. A larger incumbent in the regional baroque scene whose programming, ticket base, and donor pool overlap with Seattle Bach Festival.
• Seattle Symphony: The dominant classical music presenter in Seattle with a much larger endowment, subscription base, and venue. Directly competes with SBF for the same Seattle patron dollars and corporate sponsorships, and occasionally programs Baroque repertoire.
• Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra: San Francisco-based historically informed orchestra with national reputation and touring activity. Comparable in repertoire and artistic practice, and competes for West Coast baroque donor attention and touring artists.

Direct peers

• Bachfest Leipzig: The original international Bach festival held annually in Leipzig. SBF explicitly partners with Artful Journeys to send travelers to Bachfest Leipzig 2026, positioning it as the global benchmark and aspirational peer for any Bach-focused festival.
• Pacific MusicWorks: Seattle-based baroque ensemble where Tekla Cunningham was formerly co-artistic director. Operates in the same historically informed baroque niche, draws from overlapping musician rosters, and competes for the same Seattle baroque audience and donor pool.
• Oregon Bach Festival: The most direct comparable in the PNW: a long-running festival dedicated to Bach and large-scale choral/orchestral masterworks. Operates on a similar nonprofit, festival-season model with education programming and competing for the same Pacific Northwest patron and ticket base as Seattle Bach Festival.
• Boston Early Music Festival: One of North America's leading early-music festivals, presenting Baroque opera, orchestral concerts, and an extensive exhibition/fringe. Operates on a comparable festival model with international artists, master classes, and an exhibition/trade component.
• Whidbey Island Music Festival: Founded and directed by Tekla Cunningham herself, this Pacific Northwest chamber music festival uses a similar historically informed performance model and donor-supported nonprofit structure, making it an obvious internal benchmark and competing draw on the founder's time.

Emerging players

• Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra: Smaller regional period-instrument orchestra with education and outreach programming. Comparable in nonprofit, donor-supported model and historically informed repertoire, though operating in a different metropolitan market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@seattlebachfestival
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61562438906724
• Instagraminstagram.com/seattlebachfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattle-bach-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Seattle Bach Festival