Here's Our Story

Hey there. We're the Bach and Beethoven Experience but you can call us the BBE. We've been around Chicago since 2009. That was the year a bunch of us moved to the city. We wanted to play some cool music on some really awesome instruments that you don't see every day. Since then, we've gone through a number of changes. We've started jamming with more awesome players, singers, and dancers, we've started writing our own music, we've changed our name, and we've stopped apologizing for wanting to drink a beer while we play some tunes. Oh, and we'd love for you to join our #bbefamily.

Here's what we do.

We're not your grandma's grandma's granny's Bach.

We aim to shatter expectations of classical music concerts. Music should serve a story and be people-centric, so we try to build a personal connection between our audience and our artists through stories, music of all kinds (classical, folk, original music, and beyond), and an interactive experience. As a bonus, we rock the house with some pretty cool and unique instruments, too. 😃

Here's what we don't do.

We don't do stuffy formal performances that prescribe how you should behave or enjoy yourself. Listen to the music, strike up a conversation, clap or shout whenever you feel like it, take a nap, enjoy a beer. Whatever. Every show and every audience is a unique experience. We set no expectation other than that you have a good time with us.

Here's some cool stuff we've done.

Awesome Venues

Art Institute of Chicago
Beat Brasserie (Boston MA)
Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston MA)
Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago Temple Church
Christ Church Cathedral (Hartford CT)
Defibrillator Art Gallery (Chicago IL)
DePaul University (Chicago IL)
Fourth Presbyterian (Chicago IL)
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge (Chicago IL)
Jay Pritzker Pavilion (Chicago IL)
Martyrs’ Live (Chicago IL)
Music Institute of Chicago
Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago IL)
St. Luke in the Fields (New York City NY)
Theater Wit (Chicago IL)
Uncommon Ground (Chicago IL)
Union League of Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
Waldron Arts Center (Bloomington IN)

Presenting Series

Academy of Early Music (Ann Arbor MI)
Canterbury Music Society (Dixon IL)
Church of Beethoven (Oak Park IL)
Classical Music Mondays (Chicago IL)
Early Music at the Barn (Grayslake IL)
Fourth Presbyterian Noonday (Chicago IL)
Friends of the Window (Chicago IL)
House Concert Series (Chicago IL)
Monday Music at Millar (Evanston IL)
Music on the Hill (Barrington IL)
Musicians Club of Women (Chicago IL)
Rieth Chamber (Goshen IN)
Well-Tempered Musician (Early Music America)

Presenting Festivals

Baroque on Beaver Music Festival (Beaver Island MI)
Beethoven Festival (Chicago)
Bloomington Early Music Festival (Bloomington IN)
Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series
Chicago Early Music Festival