Bach Society takes classical measures to preserve music

At a university where student-run performing arts groups are a dime a dozen, the independent Bach Society stands alone. Born from the now-defunct Composer's Orchestra of the University of Pennsylvania, the Bach Society has quickly gained momentum as the only student-run orchestra on campus. David Austin, an oboe player studying under former Philadelphia Orchestra player Louis Rosenblatt, conducts the group. Austin said he encountered a great deal of frustration while trying to establish the orchestra at the University. "It was a ludicrous amount of red tape? a long series of petitions and proposals to be recognized," the College senior said, citing the acronyms of several real (and imaginary) funding councils -- "SAC, PAC, SMAC" -- responsible for the creation of new student-run groups on campus. Having passed the initial hurdles, the Bach Society is in its second full season and is comprised of between 30 and 50 student musicians, nearly all of whom are undergraduates. The group performs a range of classical music -- from Bach to Brandenberg to Haydn. Austin said the group plans to hold a "composition competition" sometime this year and will play the winning student compositions at performances. "We're a serious orchestra but we do cut loose sometimes," Austin said. "The students really are in touch with what they want out of a quality performing arts group." Returning players, who include College senior Jennifer Loh and Wharton junior Terence Chang, also pointed to the group's dynamics as a major reason for their involvement. "It's an intimate and musically rewarding group," said Loh, a flutist. Chang, a clarinet player and the Bach Society's financial manager, called the group the "credit union of orchestras" -- a reference to the group's independence from the Music Department, which governs the University Symphony Orchestra. Many students who became part of the Bach Society said they did so only after their involvement with the University Orchestra left them disenchanted. "I was in the University Orchestra for three painful semesters?. When Bach Society became an alternative, I decided to jump ship," Chang said. Listing his personal grievances with the University Orchestra, Chang said the students rarely liked the musical selections, lacked input in the Orchestra's managerial matters and were "publicly embarrassed during rehearsals? treated like children." Chang said the Bach Society was created as a "protest" against "an administration biased against undergraduates." College sophomore and French horn player Madeline Abrams added, "[The Bach Society] fulfilled so much for me in a musical sense that I had missed in the University Orchestra." The Bach Society is looking for additional members, playing any instrument.