by Jeff Selesnick
With the fall semester fully underway, Concord Community Music School is back to its usual buzz. Classes for young children and seniors meet during the day, private lessons pick up by mid-afternoon, and groups and ensembles fill rehearsal spaces into the evening hours. The final piece of the puzzle comes in early October when the signature Bach’s Lunch series kicks off for the 2026-27 season on October 1.
“The CCMS Bach’s Lunch series is one of the most unique and longest-running music series in Concord,” notes Music School Executive Director Daniel Acsadi. “The 12:10 p.m. start time welcomes audiences for whom evening concerts are not always convenient, and we have many loyal audience members who make it to six or more performances a season. And every concert is free!”
“I love that the Bach’s Lunch series is accessible to everyone,” agrees voice faculty and Bach’s Lunch veteran Melissa Elsman. “Anyone can come and enjoy a variety of music without any prior exposure or experience with that music and learn something new.”
The series runs from October through May and loosely follows the model of a music-based lecture on the first Thursday of the month, followed by a performance on the second Thursday. First-timer Jim Prendergast, a self-dubbed “60’s folksinger who got in way too deep,” kicks off the series with songs and anecdotes from his musical adventures, followed by Grace and Lindsey Schust exploring West African drumming traditions. November will feature a double-session of South Asian music with CCMS faculty members Harimaya Adhikari and Prem Sagar Khatiwada leading a quintet performing traditional Indian and Nepalese tunes.
Attendees won’t have any problem getting into the holiday spirit as Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki and Matt Jensen headline A Celtic Christmas on December 3, and the Portsmouth Brass Quintet performs festival favorites the following week. Piano virtuoso and international touring artist Kyra Zhao returns to the series for the second year in a row and ushers in the New Year on January 7. On January 14, Jaqueline Schwab shares a reimagined Be The Light program, celebrating a wide range of heartening music from around the world.
The woodwind quartet Wall Street Winds will share their rich a varied repertoire on February 4, before the Hodes family sings songs of love in their annual Valentine’s Day performance. CCMS faculty members Stephanie Jenkins and Abigail Charbeneau will perform the work of Franz Schubert in March’s first performance, before the folk faculty takes the stage for the crowd-favorite St. Patrick’s Day program on March 11.
Elsman makes her return to the Bach’s lunch rotation in April with a two-part performance alongside accompanist Kathryn Southworth. “La Voix Éternelle: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Pauline Viardot, explores the life and legacy of Pauline Viardot, who was an opera star, prolific composer, and celebrated voice teacher,” notes Elsman. “I’m especially excited to share Viardot’s legacy because her influence has a very personal connection to my own teaching. She was one of the most influential women in music history for a variety of reasons, yet it is only in recent history that she is being talked about more widely.”
Tony Varga delves into discovering the double bass in the penultimate Bach’s Lunch offering of the season, and the Expansion Quartet will perform Music by Women to close out another colorful season of performances.
“Thanks to the Walker Lecture Series support, we are able to welcome a wide variety of guest musicians and scholars, along with our talented CCMS teaching artists,” says Acsadi. “Each year, we try to schedule favorites alongside shows that lead to musical growth and new connections.”