In Strasbourg, the Saint-Guillaume Choir has been resonating with the music of Bach for 140 years. Founded when Alsace was under German rule, it helped to rekindle Bach’s presence in France after 1918. Championed by Ernest, Fritz and Charles Munch, and courted by Honegger and Poulenc, it continues its journey today under the baton of 32-year-old conductor Étienne Ferrer. 
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In Strasbourg, the Church of Saint-Guillaume, built on the banks of the Ill River, has echoed with the sounds of Bach for one hundred and forty years. Founded in 1885 within the Lutheran parish, the Chœur de Saint-Guillaume has never been a mere church choir: a community of passionate amateurs, it helped—long before the age of the “Baroque specialists”—restore Bach to the heart of Europe’s musical life. In November, the choir will celebrate its 140th anniversary with the Mass in B minor, conducted by Étienne Ferrer, who today embodies both its renewal and its spirit.
The Spark: Ernest Münch and the Revival of Bach
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