The annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, a program of Eastern Mennonite University , got a boost with a $12,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The grant will support general operations of the 34th annual festival, which will be held in June 2026.
“It’s amazing to be recognized by the NEA for the quality of the artists and other key individuals involved in creating great music for the Shenandoah Valley,” said Les Helmuth, interim manager of the SVBF. “It’s truly an honor to be the recipient of an NEA grant.”
It is the first time the festival has received a NEA grant.
“We’re grateful the NEA has chosen to support the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival as we celebrate our 34th year next June,” said David Berry, Bach Festival artistic director and EMU Music program director. “This honor speaks to how special the festival truly is and its great legacy of beautiful music-making.”
The grant is one of more than 1,100 awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million.
“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, NEA chair. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place including EMU’s Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival.”
The Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival is a weeklong summer festival presenting performances on the EMU campus and in Downtown Harrisonburg by Bach Festival musicians and guest artists, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra, Baroque Academy Faculty and Festival Choir.
For more information, visit svbachfestival.org
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Crystal Graham
