During our 75th anniversary season, we started reaching out to past members. This page is devoted to their stories. If you are a choir alum and have a story you’d like to share, please send it to us using our Contact Us page.

I sang with David Babbitt in the early 1980s for 3 years. It was one of the most exciting and educational experiences of my life! My first concert was Bach’sChristmas Oratorio; actually, it was my first Bach choir performance ever, and I practiced more than I ever had for any music class or orchestra I had played in. Later that same year I encountered Bach’s B Minor Mass and I fell in love. To this day it remains my favorite choral piece. David taught me something with every rehearsal. I wish the SF Bach Choir a very happy anniversary.

—Thea Landesberg, New Jersey

Congratulations to the San Francisco Bach Choir—75 years is quite a landmark! I remember celebrating their 50th year when I was singing with this fine organization. I joined around 1977, with founding director Waldemar Jacobsen. At that time a week-long Bach Festival was held each June, culminating in the glorious Mass in B Minor, still my most favorite choral work. I sang with the choir almost 20 years, and have many wonderful and treasured memories.

The Bach Choir has changed and grown over the years, and you may certainly be proud of its achievements. David Babbitt brought the choir to new heights with his great talent and dedication, and I am grateful to have sung under his leadership.

—June Nadler, San Francisco