Even if you’re a classical music novice, you’ve no doubt heard J.S. Bach’s iconic Brandenburg Concertos. Maybe at a wedding? On the radio? If you’re a classical-music aficionado, you likely appreciate absorbing them again and again especially if played by exceptional musicians like those at this summer’s five-week Chamber Music Northwest’s “Echoes of Bach” Festival June 28 through July 27. (Of course, some listeners do suffer the ad nauseum illness if heard too much.)

A rousing version of the timeless, energetic and optimistic early-18th-century work will be performed June 28 at Reed College’s Kaul Auditorium. The complete Brandenburg Concertos double-bill and festival opener will be led by violinist/maestro Shunske Sato, who conducted the Netherlands Bach Society from 2013 to 2023. The first batch of concertos will be performed at 4 pm and the last, at 8 pm, though they are not presented in numerical order; two Bach-descended pieces by contemporary composers Gabriella Smith and Caroline Shaw, who now lives in Portland and won a Pulitzer Prize and several Grammys, will be part of the concert. A break for a bring-your-own picnic or buy-your-own-on-campus-catered meal (no booze from home, buy it on campus) after 6 pm are options for the free time separating this two-part presentation. The dual concerts repeat June 29 at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene.

Programmed astutely by well connected co-artistic directors pianist Gloria Chien and violinist Soovin Kim – both extraordinary musicians and performers who will play in several CMNW concerts and events – the festival is staged at various venues besides Reed’s Kaul Auditorium. Along with Kaul, Lincoln Hall at Portland State University, The Old Church in downtown Portland, and the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton host most concerts, workshops, classes and celebrations. Some free far-flung community concerts pop up in Newberg, Vancouver, Wash., and North Clackamas Park.

The festival features Bach, but not too much of him, and many other composers he influenced such as Felix Mendelssohn, Messiaen, Brahms, Dvorak, Mozart, Rossini –  who hasn’t escaped his influence in the classical world? – and will also showcase Bach’s two-hour B-Minor Mass July 6 at Kaul Auditorium with an Oregon Bach Festival production. The seminal sacred piece will be led by another Dutch man, OBT’s newish co-artistic leader/conductor/choral director Jos van Veldhoven. The Kaul Auditorium choral concert is preceded by an OBF performance July 3 in Eugene, also led by van Veldhoven. 

Adding to these familiar blockbusters, pianist Kit Armstrong, who ironically is being celebrated as the “Mozart of our times,” will be playing the full menu of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, a musical feast pulled off only a couple of times in CMNW’s 55-year history. That concert is 8 pm July 1 at Kaul Auditorium.

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Despite these early-festival heavy-hitters, several on the verge of selling out, don’t overlook many other concerts and events, some free of charge or well worth the price of a ticket or two. Consider a handful of premieres and commissions, protégé recitals, and favorite artists who turn up regularly on the program. Flutist Tara O’Connor, violinist Leila Josefowicz, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist Paul Watkins, former CMNW leader/clarinetist David Shifrin, and often featured Portland composer David Schiff are among them. Fleur Barron, a high-spirited mezzo-soprano who has become a recent regular at CMNW, will sing Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder in the “Brandenburg All- Stars” 8 pm concert June 30 at Reed College, where you’ll hear many of the festival’s new and revered high-profile musicians.

CMNW’s Protégé Project composers Alistair Coleman and Kian Ravaei, who’ve charmed audiences in recent years, along with CMNW newcomers Sean Shepherd and Ethan Soledad, will pop up here and there (check out the CMNW schedule). Coleman will give a free master class on composing, and both he and Ravaei will conduct free-of-charge rehearsals in mid-July. Such alumni protégés as violinist Benjamin Beilman, cellist Zlatomir Fung, violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, bassist Nina Bernat, and the Viano and Opus13 string quartets will be performing again.

To further support the 15-year CMNW’s Protégé Project, catch cellist Paul Watkins, violinist Carolin Widmann, and violist Jonathan Vinocour, who join Protégé alumni, including the Viano Quartet, Beilman and Bernat for Rossini’s Duet for Cello & Bass, Bottesini’s Gran Duo Concertante, George Walker’s Lyric for Strings and Mendelssohn’s String Quintet in B-flat Major. The protégé concert/celebration is at 4 pm July 20 at PSU’s Lincoln Hall. A second protégé concert is on Monday, July 21 at 8 pm, at Reed College.

The informal New@Night 7 pm Wednesday concerts at The Old Church  (the July 9 performance is at the BodyVox Dance Center) are always a treat for new-music fans longing to hear contemporary classical pieces. The July 2 concert features eight of them, including several by protégés. Altogether the festival is performing 28 works by living composers, a phrase that has gained traction in the classical music scene due in part to audiences’ growing acceptance of new music and programmers’ bravery and insight.

Some New@Night highlights:

• July 2, Global Voices: Conversation with pianist/composer Kit Armstrong at 6 pm and a post-concert reception;
• July 9, Sonic Soundscapes: Performed at the home of Portland dance troupe BodyVox. Conversation with composer/protege Kian Ravaei at 6 pm and reception after the concert;
• July 16, Chamber Evolution: Commissioned composer Ethan Soledad’s “Poem from Angel Island,“ a three-source commission and premiere, as well as his 6 pm talk and post-concert reception;
• July 23, Living Echoes: Conversation with cellist Paul Watkins and cellist/composer Zlatomir Fung at 6 pm and  post-concert reception.

Keep eyes and ears open for loads of no-cost live music, including open rehearsals, workshops, master classes and Young Artist Institute concerts. Look for the free Opus13 concert at 7 pm July 11 at  Newberg’s Chehalem Cultural  Center. Across the river on July 25 at Vancouver’s Arts Hub you can hear the Columbia River Brass Quintet at no charge.

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If the festival’s name, “Echoes of Bach,” sounds a little retro, the pieces are presented in thoroughly modern ways. Study the exhaustive and detailed CMNW festival program and bets are, you’ll find something that appeals to you, no matter your musical tastes.