Tom Allen tells the story of a young Johann Sebastian Bach at Kay Meek Arts Centre, March 16
J.S. Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow features guest musicians Suzie LeBlanc, Leslie Dala, David Harding, and Lori Gemmell

Tom Allen.
Kay Meek Arts Centre presents J.S. Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow on March 16 at 3 pm
CBC BROADCASTER AND master storyteller Tom Allen is going to be sharing the tale of a young Johann Sebastian Bach in J.S. Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow at the Kay Meek Arts Centre on March 16.
When Bach was 18, he hadn’t yet dived deeply into composing and instead was getting into all sorts of trouble. One of the world’s leading conductors and foremost interpreters of Bach, John Eliot Gardiner, has said that biographers have been so “overawed” by the genius that they have painted a misleading picture of the man. They have depicted him as a “paragon of rectitude, studious and dull, with the false assumption that music of such extraordinary and sublime quality must have come from somebody who was beyond criticism.” In fact, according to Gardiner, Bach’s education was marred by gang warfare, bullying, and truancy.
J.S. Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow takes audiences on a 400-kilometre journey to a glittering port city with street fights, big business, and more.
The presentation features performances by four guest artists: soprano Suzie LeBlanc, pianist Leslie Dala, violist David Harding, and harpist Lori Gemmell.
Gail Johnson is cofounder and associate editor of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.
Related Articles
Toronto-based turntable artist and composer performs his piece Within Touch with close-up projections of his storytelling process
The young ensemble revisits and reinvigorates repertoire with an energy that breaks through classical solemnity
Science meets history in Vancouver violinist’s 50-minute piece of music for violin and found-sound
Composer Chihchun Chi-sun Lee portrays Taiwanese dragons through sound
Innovation Series features five concerts from June 25 to 29, while the return of Time Flies brings three free late-night shows to Granville Island
Program also features virtuoso British pianist Stephen Hough, who hosts a Pyatt Hall masterclass on April 10
Program honours special people and moments in the choir’s history with works by Bach, Mahler, and more
Early Music Vancouver program features a piffari, or wind band, accompanied by the early dances of French and Italian court festivities
Vancouver Chamber Choir concert features some of the Italian virtuoso’s most enduring Renaissance music
Fast-paced feminist adventure follows three coworkers who rebel against their boss
In musical travels from rock and electronica to folk and blues, the roving artist has followed her curiosity and intuition beyond industry-drawn boundaries
Event marks 10th anniversary with more than 250 singers, $5 TD Community Roar Tickets, and a world premiere from Marie-Claire Saindon
B.C. surf-rockers Empanadas Ilegales, powerhouse Australian vocalist Lloyd Spiegel, and more will perform at the Fraser River Heritage Park from July 25 to 27
As part of Music on Main series, the Mexican Canadian composer’s luminous works respond to current chaos and ancient ties to the natural world
Joan Blackman shares the stage with eight all-star musicians for a program of works by Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert
Most decorated female Latin Grammy winner in history and mind behind the beloved Chief Inspector Gamache series will appear in Vancouver this fall
Coastal Jazz also announced the second year of the New Improvisers Studio
Summer concerts return to Vancouver parks, plus the new year includes Steve Hackman’s epic synthesis of Radiohead’s seminal OK Computer with Brahms’s First Symphony
Vancouver concert is nearly sold out, but great seats are still up for grabs in Surrey
Also on the program at Holy Rosary Cathedral is Benevoli’s Missa Tu Es Petrus
Raised on bluegrass and the warmth of her Bowen Island community, the Montreal-based folksinger comes full circle with songs about close emotional bonds