A Christmas Journey Through the Music of J. S. Bach

Midway through Advent, as one of the year’s most beautiful holidays approaches, we invite you to spend an afternoon with pianist Hélène Papadopoulos and the extraordinary music of J. S. Bach.

The program, which explores the composer’s most celebrated works, will invite listeners to journey in their thoughts to a contemplative spiritual space. Each piece—from toccatas brimming with dynamic energy to the profoundly deep “Chaconne” transcribed for piano and the inwardly searching “Duetti”—touches upon themes of reflection, renewal, and the transcendence of the human soul.

Hélène Papadopoulos is a pianist renowned for her intricate and sensitive interpretations—particularly of J. S. Bach’s music—and her multifaceted vision of musical creation and performance. She completed her studies in piano, harpsichord, cello, and chamber music at the Strasbourg Conservatory and the École Normale de Musique de Paris, and earned a doctorate in computational musicology from IRCAM / Paris Sorbonne University. She performs as both a soloist and a chamber musician across Europe and North America.

Hélène’s concert series featuring the complete works of Bach has garnered widespread acclaim, captivating audiences with its profound exploration of the composer’s spiritual and emotional depths. Her unique ability to bridge tradition and modernity—whether through deeply felt interpretations of iconic works like the Goldberg Variations, or by commissioning living composers to create a dialogue between Bach’s music and the contemporary world—yields an experience that is both timeless and strikingly relevant today. This season, she presents the complete “Clavier-Übung” (the Keyboard Partitas, Italian Concerto, French Overture, Four Duets, and Goldberg Variations) and all the Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin BWV 1014–1019. Her recent accolades for musical excellence include a Culture Moves Europe grant and a Scheide Grant from the American Bach Society.

Through her academic research and the continuous refinement of her artistic practice, the musician has published an edition of Leonhard Euler’s (1707–1783) work on music theory, complete with her own commentary. She is the artistic director of the “Festival aux Chandelles” in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, France: there, she redefines classical music programming, discussing the artistic research that shapes every performance. Supported by the Bach Archive in Leipzig, she is currently an artist-in-residence at CNMAT, University of California, Berkeley, delving into the legacy of American keyboardist Rosalyn Tureck and her impact on 21st-century Bach performance.

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