The oldest collegiate Bach Festival in the country, the Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival, takes place Friday through next Saturday at Kulas Musical Arts Building in Berea, Ohio. The 77th annual festivall will feature Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" amongst the composer's numerous other works.

The Opera Cleveland Orchestra, led by Dwight Oltman, will perform vocal and instrumental works by Bach at 8pm Friday. The Chatham Baroque named "Best Classical Artist of 1999" by National Public Radio will also play at 4pm on Friday.

Bach's Christmas Oratorio, which will be presented in two parts on Saturday. The first at 4pm, and the second at 8pm. On Sunday, the C.O.5 wind quintent and a string quartet made up of members from the Cleveland Orchestra will play "Art of Fugue" at 3pm on Sunday.

There are also free events, including the Festival Brass which plays outside the Musical Arts building at 3:15pm on Friday and Saturday. Also free of charge is the "Bach Church Service" at 11:15am at the Berea United Methodist Church.

The festival was founded in 1932 by music educator Albert Riemenschneider and his wife Selma, whose mission was to enrich the lives of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio residents by bringing the greatest Bach soloists to the stage at Baldwin-Wallace College, while also offering the school's Conservatory students in voice and instruments an unparalleled opportunity to experience the highest performance standards of their day. To this day, the Bach Festival continues to symbolize artistic and academic excellence.

Admission to the Bach Festival is $15 to $30 for single tickets, or $70 to $115 for packages. For more information, or to order tickets, visit www.bw.edu/bachfest or call (440) 826-8070.