Bach Collegium Japan is composed of an orchestra and a chorus specialising in Baroque music

Baroque music

Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...

, playing with period instruments. It was founded in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki

Masaaki Suzuki

is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist and conductor, and the founder and musical director of the Bach Collegium Japan.He was born in Kobe to parents who were both Christians and amateur musicians...

 with the purpose of introducing Japanese audiences to European Baroque music. Suzuki still remains its music director. The ensemble holds an annual series of concerts of Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...

's cantata

Bach cantata

Bach cantata became a term for a cantata of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach who was a prolific writer of the genre. Although many of his works are lost, around 200 cantatas survived....

s and instrumental programs. Since 1995 they have produced a series recordings of J. S. Bach's sacred cantatas on the BIS

BIS Records

BIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden.BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recordings....

 label, now issuing the forty-fourth recording. The first 27 volumes were issued in CD format and the following in SACD

Super Audio CD

Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...

. Their other notable recordings include Händel

HANDEL

HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....

's Messiah

Messiah (Handel)

Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...

and J. S. Bach's vocal works, such as St Matthew Passion and Mass in B minor. They have also recorded a DVD with J. S. Bach's St John Passion.

BCJ has recently extended its activities to the international music scene with appearances at major festivals in cities such as Santiago de Compostela, Tel Aviv, Leipzig and Melbourne in 2000, the 250th anniversary year of Bach’s death. In recent years BCJ had given concerts in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the United States, South Korea and Germany, including Bach's cantatas.