Day 1 | Friday 11 June
Arrive Weimar
A city of small scale but immense intellectual prestige, Weimar was home to Goethe and Schiller, Liszt and Nietzsche, and later the Bauhaus movement. Long before all of this, however, it was the seat of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, and it was here, between 1708 and 1717, that Bach served as court organist and chamber musician – years in which he composed some of his most dazzling organ works and honed the contrapuntal mastery that would define everything that followed. Gathering at Berlin Airport in the early afternoon, we board our coach for Weimar. After checking into our hotel on the market square, we embark on a guided walking tour of the city. Highlights include the Ducal-Saxe residence where Bach lived and worked, and the Stadtkirche of St Peter and Paul, known as the Herderkirche, where Bach directed music and the reformer Martin Luther himself once preached. The day concludes with a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Weimar (D)

Day 2 | Saturday 12 June
Eisenach and Mühlhausen
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on 21 March 1685 in Eisenach, a town in the forested hills of Thuringia with deep Lutheran roots. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was the town musician, and the Bach family had long been central to the region’s musical life. Eisenach was also home to the Wartburg – the great hilltop castle where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German, a fact that profoundly shaped the Lutheran musical tradition in which Bach would work his entire life. After a talk in the hotel this morning, we travel by coach to Eisenach to visit the Bach Museum, one of the largest music museums in Germany, which presents the composer’s life and the extraordinary musical dynasty from which he came. After a break for lunch, we continue to Mühlhausen, where the young Bach was appointed organist at Blasiuskirche in 1707. One of the best-preserved medieval towns in Thuringia, Mühlhausen retains its ancient city walls, towers and a remarkable collection of Gothic churches that give a vivid sense of the world Bach inhabited. We explore the Old Town and visit the grand 14th-century Blasiuskirche, where Bach composed several of his earliest cantatas, before returning to Weimar. Overnight Weimar (B)

Day 3 | Sunday 13 June
Arnstadt and Dornheim
Before Weimar, before Mühlhausen, there was Arnstadt – the town where the 18-year-old Bach received his first significant appointment as organist at the Neue Kirche (now known as the Bachkirche) in 1703. It was a position he held for four years, a formative period that included his legendary unauthorised journey on foot to Lübeck to hear the great organist Dieterich Buxtehude. Arnstadt also witnessed another milestone: it was here, in the nearby village of Dornheim, that Bach married his second cousin Maria Barbara in 1707. Today we travel by coach to Arnstadt for a guided walking tour that takes in the places where Bach lived and worked. We then continue to the small village of Dornheim, where we visit the simple Traukirche where Bach and Maria Barbara wed. We return to Weimar in the afternoon, with the remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight Weimar (B)

Day 4 | Monday 14 June
To Leipzig | Bachfest
Leipzig, the great trading and intellectual city of Saxony, was the destination Bach set his sights on in 1723 when he applied for the position of Thomaskantor – director of music at the Thomaskirche and superintendent of music across the city’s principal churches. He remained there for the rest of his life, producing in those 27 years a body of work that stands as one of the supreme achievements in the history of music. After a talk in the hotel this morning, we depart Weimar for Leipzig, arriving in the city that forms the heart of this tour. Lunch is enjoyed together at a local restaurant before we check into our hotel, set on a quiet lane in the heart of the old city, not far from the Thomaskirche. The afternoon is at leisure before the evening brings our first Bachfest concert of the tour at the Paulinum. Rebuilt on the site of Leipzig’s former University Church, which was destroyed in 1968 during the communist regime of East Germany, the Paulinum’s striking contemporary design and finely balanced acoustics provide an intimate setting for a solo recital. The program features pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 – a landmark of the keyboard repertoire, unfolding across 30 variations with remarkable clarity and depth. Overnight Leipzig (B, L)

Day 5 | Tuesday 15 June
Historical Leipzig | Bachfest
Leipzig’s medieval street plan and its remarkable surviving architecture make it one of the most rewarding cities to visit. At its core is a cluster of churches and civic buildings that have witnessed more than five centuries of history – from the Reformation controversies that played out here in 1519 to the peaceful Monday demonstrations of 1989 that helped bring down the East German state. For Bach, this urban landscape was his daily world. A talk in the hotel this morning prepares us for a guided walking tour of Leipzig’s historic centre. The day feels like a pilgrimage: at the Thomaskirche, we stand at the tomb of Bach himself, interred beneath the chancel in the church where he directed music for the last and most prolific chapter of his life. We continue to the Nikolaikirche before reaching the Altes Rathaus – Leipzig’s magnificent 16th-century town hall – and the Neues Rathaus. The afternoon is then at leisure before our second Bachfest concert sees us return to the Nikolaikirche. Performed by the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists under the direction of Jonathan Sells, the program places Bach’s works alongside those of Dieterich Buxtehude and Franz Tunder – composers whose sacred music helped shape the tradition he inherited. The concert culminates with Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227, the most musically complex of Bach’s motets. Overnight Leipzig (B)

Day 6 | Wednesday 16 June
Halle | Bachfest
The town of Halle presents one of the great counterfactual moments in Bach’s biography. In 1713, following the death of Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow – organist at the great Marktkirche church in the centre of the city and teacher of the young George Frideric Handel – Bach was offered the post at Halle. He declined, and the two towering figures of baroque music, near contemporaries born within a month and a hundred miles of each other, never met. Today we travel by coach to Halle for a guided walking tour of its historic streets and the Marktkirche. The church is a remarkable late Gothic structure, its soaring interior a fitting setting for the musical life that unfolded within its walls across centuries. After a break for lunch, there is free time for futher exploration before we return to Leipzig. In the evening, we return to the Paulinum for a performance centred on Bach’s solo cantatas. Presented by three prizewinners of the Leipzig Bach Competition, the program explores a more intimate side of Bach’s vocal writing, where individual voices carry both narrative and devotional expression. Accompanied by the Collegium Musicum ‘23 and directed from the violin by Nadja Zwiener, these works offer an expressive counterpoint to the larger-scale choral performances. Overnight Leipzig (B)

Day 7 | Thursday 17 June
Bach Museum | Bachfest
The Bose House, home to Leipzig’s Bach Archive and Bach Museum, stands directly opposite the Thomaskirche. The Bose family were prosperous merchants and close friends of Bach, and the building carries a palpable sense of the world in which the composer moved. After a talk in the hotel this morning, we enjoy a private guided tour here, which features period instruments, manuscripts and interactive displays across 12 thematically structured exhibition rooms. A break for lunch follows before we attend our next Bachfest performance at the Nikolaikirche, with a program featuring two of Bach’s church cantatas: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61, and Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7. Performed by Australia’s very own Canberra Bach Ensemble under the direction of Andrew Koll, this program reflects Bach’s liturgical writing in the very setting for which it was conceived. The late afternoon is then at leisure, with the option to visit the Mendelssohn House, the last and sole private residence of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. In the evening we attend another Bachfest performance, making our way to the neo-classical Leipzig Opera House. Here, Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245, is presented in a contemporary ballet staging by Sasha Waltz. This powerful interpretation brings together vocal soloists, including Christian Immler and Valerio Contaldo, with the Chœur de Chambre de Namur, Cappella Mediterranea and other ensembles under the direction of Leonardo García-Alarcón. Overnight Leipzig (B)

Day 8 | Friday 18 June
Köthen | Bachfest
The years Bach spent at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen (1717–1723) represent one of the most significant chapters of his career. With no requirement for him to write church music, Bach turned his creative energies towards instrumental composition, producing the Brandenburg Concertos, the French and English Suites, the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Orchestral Suites. Prince Leopold was himself an accomplished musician and Bach flourished under the patronage of a man who genuinely loved music. This morning we travel by coach to Köthen for a walking tour in Bach’s footsteps. At the heart of the visit is Schloss Köthen, the elegant baroque palace where Bach directed the court’s musical life. Its chapel, where many of the great instrumental works received their first performances, retains much of the atmosphere of the world Bach inhabited. Returning to Leipzig in the afternoon, there is time to freshen up before our evening concert at the Großer Saal of the Gewandhaus. The program places a contemporary lens on the festival’s themes, with a focus on current Gewandhaus composer Arvo Pärt. Performed by the Gewandhausorchester under the direction of renowned Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons, the evening provides a modern counterpoint to Bach’s legacy. Overnight Leipzig (B)

Day 9 | Saturday 19 June
Leipzig at leisure | Bachfest
By this stage of the festival, Leipzig reveals itself not only through its great churches and concert venues, but through the quieter rhythms of daily life that shaped Bach’s world. The morning begins with a talk in the hotel, before the day is set aside for independent exploration. You may wish to explore one of Leipzig’s museums or enjoy the cafés and arcades of the old city, whose mercantile prosperity underpinned the musical culture Bach served. We reconvene for lunch at a fine local restaurant before the afternoon is again at leisure. In the evening, we attend a performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, BWV 244, in the Thomaskirche. One of the most profound achievements of the Baroque era, the work unfolds on a monumental scale, combining soloists, double choir and orchestra. Performed by the Thomanerchor Leipzig and the ThomanerNachwuchsChor, with CONTINUUM under the direction of Andreas Reize, the performance stands as one of the central works of our Bachfest program. Overnight Leipzig (B, L)

Day 10 | Sunday 20 June
Bach in Worship | Bachfest
Sunday mornings during the Bachfest carry their own particular atmosphere. At the Thomaskirche and Nikolaikirche, Bach’s music is woven into the liturgy rather than presented as performance – heard, as it was always intended. Those who wish to attend may do so independently; the longer of the morning services concludes at around 11:30. A midday lecture in our hotel will then draw together the threads of Bach’s life as traced across the preceding days, followed by lunch together at a nearby restaurant. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure before the evening brings the final concert of our Bachfest program. Returning once more to the Thomaskirche, the performance features Bach’s Mass in B minor, BWV 232 – a monumental synthesis of his sacred music, bringing together movements composed across different periods of his life into a single, unified work. Expansive in scale and expressive in range, the Mass draws on the full resources of choir, soloists and orchestra, and stands among the most significant achievements of the Baroque era. Performed by the Constellation Choir & Orchestra conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, this concert provides a fitting conclusion to our immersion in Bach’s music. Farewell drinks follow in the hotel. Overnight Leipzig (B, L)

Day 11 | Monday 21 June
To Berlin
Berlin occupies an important place in the afterlife of Bach’s music, particularly through the 19th-century revival that helped restore his works to the concert repertoire. It was here that Felix Mendelssohn conducted the first modern performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1829, an event that marked a turning point in Bach’s reception. The city is also home to significant archival collections, with the Berlin State Library holding some of the most important surviving manuscripts, including Bach’s handwritten Mass in B minor, now inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World register. This morning we depart by coach for Berlin, with a break for lunch en route. After checking into our hotel, the afternoon is at leisure. In the evening we gather for drinks in the hotel bar before dinner together at Lutter & Wegner – a long-established institution overlooking the elegant Gendarmenmarkt. Overnight Berlin (B, D)

Day 12 | Tuesday 22 June
Berlin’s Cultural Landscape
Berlin hums with cultural life and musical energy, shaped by centuries of royal patronage and artistic exchange. While not a central city in Johann Sebastian Bach’s own career, it played an important role in the next generation of musicians, particularly through his son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who served at the court of Frederick the Great and became one of the most influential composers of the later 18th century. His presence here reflected the shifting musical world that followed Bach’s lifetime, rather than a direct continuation of it. This morning we embark on a walking tour of central Berlin, taking in the monumental architecture of Unter den Linden and the Mitte district. Lunch is enjoyed together at a fine local restaurant, after which the afternoon is at leisure – an opportunity to explore Berlin’s galleries and museums or simply absorb the atmosphere of this remarkable city. Overnight Berlin (B, L)

Day 13 | Wednesday 23 June
Museum Island
Museum Island – the northern tip of an island in the River Spree – is one of the most remarkable concentrations of cultural heritage anywhere in the world. Home to five world-class museums gathered over more than a century, it was designated a UNESCO World-Heritage site in 1999, and its collections span five millennia of human civilisation, from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. The island also sits at the heart of a city that has long been a crucible of musical life, and the Berliner Philharmonie – home to one of the world’s great orchestras – remains among the most celebrated concert venues on the continent. A lecture in the hotel this morning provides context for the day ahead before we make our way to Museum Island. The afternoon is then set aside for independent exploration of its outstanding collections. In the evening, we gather again in the hotel and walk to the Reichstag for a special dinner at Käfer Restaurant, set atop the Parliament complex. Set beside Norman Foster’s glass dome, the restaurant offers a refined dining experience and views across the illuminated city. Overnight Berlin (B, D)

Day 14 | Thursday 24 June
Berliner Philharmonie | Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Defined by its striking tent-like form and bold modernist design, the Berliner Philharmonie stands as one of the 20th century’s most influential concert halls. Opened in 1963 and designed by Hans Scharoun, its vineyard-style seating surrounds the stage, creating an intimate relationship between performers and audience that has shaped concert hall design worldwide. We make our way here this morning for a guided tour of the venue, gaining insight into its architecture, acoustics and enduring role in Berlin’s musical life. A farewell lunch follows at Brasserie Quarré, located directly at Pariser Platz with its terrace overlooking the Brandenburg Gate. The menu here offers a selection of German–French classics and seasonal dishes showcasing regional produce. The remainder of the afternoon is then at leisure before we gather again this evening to return to the Philharmonie for a final performance, providing a fitting conclusion to our tour. Overnight Berlin (B, L)

Day 15 | Friday 25 June
Depart Berlin
The tour concludes after breakfast. Individual transfers to Berlin Airport will be arranged according to your onward
travel plans. (B)