Rock to Bach 2026 Schedule

Elza Gate is a folk duo (Pat Parr and Bob Cushman) from Oak Ridge, Tennessee that, since 2015, has performed a wide variety of music, including traditional tunes from the Southern Mountains, British Isles (and even Canada), bluegrass, and country. They have performed at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris; 201 Cafe & Wine Bar, Crafter's Brew, and Bud's Farmhouse Coffee in Oak Ridge; Lilly Pad Hopyard Brewery in Lancing; Oak Ridge Civic Music Association's Rock to Bach events; Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge; Bijou Theatre, Historic Ramsey House, and Emporium Center in Knoxville; Postmark Jamboree in LaFollette; WMMT in Whitesburg, Kentucky, WVMR in Frost, West Virginia; and other area venues. They have also presented a series of classes and singalongs at the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning.

The Peaceabilities has performed music since 2008 for building community and promoting peace and nonviolent social change. They sing popular songs, as well as original and other songs in the Appalachian and other folk traditions. The band has performed at the Sing for the Climate concert (World’s Fair Park,) WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, Nashville Peace Festival, and Oak Ridge’s annual Hiroshima Day commemoration. From left: Mitzi Wood-von Mizener (lead vocals), Kevin Collins (banjo, cello, electric bass, accordion), Guy Larry Osborne (guitar, vocals), Ralph Hutchison (guitar, vocals), and Diane Krause (harmonium, vocals).

Lim is a part-time violinist and violist who can play 16 musical instruments. For nine years, she played trumpet in marching bands. A graduate of both the University of Tennessee and Middle Tennessee State University, she serves as assistant concertmaster on violin for the Maryville College Orchestra and as principal viola for the Scruffy City Orchestra. She also plays violin and viola for the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, at church services, and for wedding performances. She has played her instruments in summer music festivals such as the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, and Heartland Chamber Music Festival.

ORHS graduate Kristi Younkin, clarinet, and Josh Sumter, piano, will perform classical music. She has performed with Phyllis Diller, The Temptations and Mnozil Brass and played on the Fox and Friends TV show and during the funeral for former President Gerald Ford.

Soprano Alexandra Engle is thrilled to be presenting a selection of art songs for your listening pleasure! Known for her light soprano sound, Alexandra has appeared with Opera Carolina, the Charlotte Symphony, Marble City Opera, Resonanz Opera, and more. She has been featured as a soloist at the Piccolo Spoleto festival, internationally at the Amalfi Coast Music Festival, and is so happy to sing regularly as a soloist with the Oak Ridge Chorus. A dedicated artist and teacher, Alexandra holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Vocal Performance from Belmont University, where she was a recipient of the Elizabeth Wall Scholarship for voice, and a Master of Music in Voice from the University of Tennessee. She has been sharing her expertise through her private studio, Knoxville Voice Lessons, since 2016. As a lifelong learner, she continues to study voice with David Jones.

David Easterling is an Americana Folk Roots and Comedy Singer-Songwriter and Storyteller living in Oak Ridge, TN. He writes/co-writes 120-150 songs a year with Nashville artists and many musicians worldwide with dozens of his songs on albums and being performed around the world!
David is an Award Winning internationally acclaimed prolific artist!
Winner of Josie Music Award for the 2024 Song Of The Year (Country/Female) for “Losin,” “Buried Before My Time” spent several weeks on the charts at #1 and “Take Me Back To Tennessee” was voted The 2023 Song of the Year by Cumberland Mountain Song Crafters Guild (Songs about Home).
David’s music videos and tour schedule can be found on YouTube and Facebook @david.easterling.1069
https://www.facebook.com/david.easterling.1069?mibextid=LQQJ4d
For more info or booking call or text (865) 548-6099.

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is an Oak Ridge pianist who is currently studying nuclear engineering and physics at the University of Tennessee. For the festival, he will perform Frederic Chopin’s Four Ballades, a personal favorite set of his that is considered a pinnacle of classical piano writing. He has previously given piano performances with the Oak Ridge Community Band.

The Silver Winds Flute Choir performs a wide variety of musical pieces on a wide variety of flutes, including instruments you may never have seen before. This Knoxville-area group plays by request at venues such as churches and assisted living facilities and at music festivals such as Rock to Bach, which has been spearheaded for many years by Lois McKeever, a Flute Choir member!

Quintet is a group of Oak Ridge High School musicians

The “Resolve This!” Barbershop Quartet consists of Caleb Sutton, tenor; Ben Pollchik, lead singer; Brandon Loveday, bass, and Phillip Brock, baritone. They participated in the Southeastern Harmony District Fall Convention last fall in Gadsden, Ala., and will sing at the Southeastern Harmony District Spring Convention in March in Knoxville. The four men are also members of a chorus that finished in second place last year at the Southeastern Harmony convention and qualified for the upcoming international competition

The Tanasi Winds Woodwind Quintet plays classical, pop, jazz, ragtime and Broadway tunes. The quintet consists of Dave Greenwood, clarinet; RaNaye Dreier, flute; Dana Fox, oboe; Bill Schwenterly, horn, and Ardyce Lee, bassoon. They have played at 201 Café and Wine Bar, Market Square and this festival numerous times.

Jeff Heidle is an Oak Ridge pianist who has performed as soloist with the Oak Ridge Symphony, the Maryville-Alcoa College Community Orchestra and the University of Tennessee Orchestra. He has played piano for ORCMA’s Coffee Concerts and this festival.

The Knoxville Jazz Youth Orchestra is an honors band directed by Tom Lundberg, the lead trombonist for the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra and a music instructor at Pellissippi State Community College for more than 20 years. The band, which performs eight to ten concerts during the school year, is open to high school students from across East Tennessee (including Oak Ridge and Roane County), and the players are chosen by audition each fall. “The students are playing challenging music at an extremely high level of proficiency in various venues around the area,” Lundberg said. “The youth orchestra explores the repertoire of outstanding jazz ensembles, as well as the music of the great American Songbook. The group offers students the opportunity to learn about and develop jazz improvisation skills.”

The talented volunteer vocalists in the Oak Ridge Chorus bring the beauty and power of choral music to
our community. Enjoy their Rock to Bach performance in
which they will share folk songs from their upcoming June
6 concert “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

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Salad
Mixed greens with 2 dressings
Entrée
Grilled Chicken Breast with white wine and mushroom sauce
Sliced Pork Loin with caramelized onion gravy
Penne Pasta Primavera
Sides
Au Gratin Potatoes
Vegetable
Garlic, green beans, and roasted red peppers
Dessert
Peach or Berry cobbler

Ayca & The Sasquatch

Join us for the grand finale of the Oak Ridge Rock to Bach Music Festival, featuring locally acclaimed vocalist and oboist Ayca Yayman and classical guitarist Joey Torres. Performing as Ayca & The Sasquatch, this talented duo brings classical-level artistry to classic rock, pop, and dance favorites.

Description coming soon!