An online community to explore and enjoy Bach's vocal music
The Cantata Trail is an exploration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music, with special focus on his cantatas and other vocal works. What began as a small virtual gathering of close friends to get us through the Covid pandemic, has gradually evolved into a community of several dozen members.
The Cantata Trail meets bi-weekly over Zoom from November through May. Each session features a program which usually starts with a cantata, followed by some instrumental music by Bach or other composers of the era, closing with a second cantata. The meetings run for about 2 hours. Miguel introduces each piece on the program by providing historical context and some light musical analysis, to serve as pointers for deeper appreciation. After this introduction, the group listens to the full piece together via high-quality streaming. Group members then share their impressions or thoughts on the music.
To enhance the experience, materials such as librettos, scores, and program notes are curated and posted to the Cantata Trail website. These resources provide references for participants during the sessions and support further exploration and enjoyment after the meetings conclude.
Join our sessions by filling out the fields below! We’ll get back to you with more information. Your name and email address will be kept completely confidential.
Miguel Rodé
Miguel Rodé was born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay and moved to the United States in 2002 as part of his career in Information Technology. He currently lives in Seattle, WA. A life-long music lover, over the years Miguel developed a special fascination with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and in particular with his cantatas and other vocal works.
During the Covid pandemic, Miguel initiated a series of virtual meetings called “The Cantata Trail” with the intent of sharing this incredibly rich musical universe with some close friends. This small community quickly grew organically through word of mouth and it’s still going strong. In addition to hosting his own meeting series, Miguel has facilitated similar workshops for Artful Journeys and for the Whidbey Island Music Festival.
As a musician, Miguel plays the baroque flute under the tutelage of Janet See, and is a member of several chamber ensembles in the Seattle area, for which he also enjoys transcribing and arranging music.
