About

The Riemenschneider Bach Institute is founded on the collections of Albert and Selma Riemenschneider. Albert, with the help of his wife, Selma, founded the Conservatory (around 1900) and the BW Bach Festival (in 1933) and served as Director of the Conservatory for over forty years. Albert was an inveterate collector, pursuing desired editions in-person and by trans-Atlantic snail mail. He amassed a fantastic collection, which was given to the College by Selma upon his passing. In 1969 it was officially inaugurated as the Riemenschneider Bach Institute. Elinore Barber served as the first Director and inaugurated BACH: The Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute. Elinore served until 1998, when Mel Unger became Director and Editor. Along the way, the collections grew through purchases, subscriptions, and gifts, including those of Emmy Martin (a collector) and Hans David, the prominent musicologist.

Today the Riemenschneider Bach Institute is a steward for its priceless collections and a center for scholarship by our own students and scholars from around the world. The Institute is led collaboratively by Dr. Christina Fuhrmann, Editor of BACH; Dr. Danielle Kuntz, RBI Scholar in Residence; and Paul Cary, Conservatory Librarian.

To preserve and enhance Baldwin Wallace University's distinctive and internationally recognized tradition of cultivating the music of J. S. Bach, and to provide Conservatory students with exemplary models of musicological research and scholarly resources needed for their academic development.

The Institute will fulfill its mission by:

• Acting as stewards of the valuable materials entrusted to the Conservatory by the Riemenschneider, Martin, David, and
  Villella families in accordance with the stipulations accompanying the gifts
• Acquiring new materials related to the scholarly study of Bach to ensure that the collection remains up-to-date
• Publishing a journal of internationally recognized caliber
• Serving as the administrative and research arm of the Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival [ADD LINK] and other Conservatory events as deemed appropriate
• Sponsoring events and concerts related to the Institute's collections