Berkshire Bach announces Appointment of James Bagwell as Director of Choral Music and Principal Conductor
Berkshire Bach announces Appointment of James Bagwell as Director of Choral Music and Principal Conductor
Great Barrington, March 23, 2026: Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) announces the appointment of James Bagwell as Director of Choral Music and Principal Conductor, effective April 1, 2026. Mr. Bagwell previously served as Choral Director and has performed with BBS since the early 2000s. The move deepens BBS’s musical capabilities and recognizes the important role Mr. Bagwell has played over the past two decades in creating a consistent record of excellence in choral performance.
“I’ve long admired James Bagwell’s work as a choral conductor,” said Eugene Drucker, Artistic Director of BBS, “specifically in the Berkshire Bach Society vocal concerts for which I’ve had the pleasure of serving as his concertmaster, and more generally in his meticulous preparation of the chorus for opera productions at Bard College’s Summerscape and for oratorio performances with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. I am pleased to formalize his involvement with our organization and to welcome him as Director of Choral Music and Principal Conductor.”
Mr. Bagwell was recently named Principal Conductor of the Tulsa Symphony and has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra since 2009. He has prepared choruses for numerous national and international orchestras, and his choruses have been featured at the Salzburg, Verbier, Mostly Mozart, and Bard Music Festivals. He is Professor of Music and Music Program Director at Bard College, and Director of Performance Studies in the Bard College Conservatory of Music. He serves as Co-Director of the Bard Conservatory Graduate Program in Conducting and is the Associate Conductor of The Orchestra Now (TŌN)
Mr. Bagwell’s new title is in effect when he conducts the first BBS performances in 30 years of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion on April 11 at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington and April 12 at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, both at 3pm. Tickets for both events are available through BerkshireBach.org/events.