Since 2012, the International Music Festival bachFest Tallinn has introduced the works of Bach and composers of his era. To better understand J.S. Bach's music, we need to know what was happening in other parts of Europe at that time. Bach's music is, after all, a grand synthesis of German, Italian, and French music. Without Vivaldi, Corelli, Scarlatti, Couperin, or Lully, Bach's music would not be what we admire today. J.S. Bach was in communication with many contemporaries from across Europe. For instance, Bach corresponded with French composers François Couperin and Nicolas de Grigny, who sent him their compositions to study. The works of Antonio Vivaldi and his Italian contemporaries, as arranged by Bach, are also no secret. The bachFest festival brings to audiences Baroque music that has either never been performed in Estonia before or has been rarely played. Much exciting Baroque music has been rediscovered in Europe or even newly found. In recent years, Estonia has cultivated a strong "cream of the crop" of Baroque musicians who have taken the performance of this era’s music to heart. Hopefully, the bachFest festival has contributed to this progress. However, there is still plenty of room to grow, especially in the field of French Baroque music. As the French master François Couperin said 300 years ago, "Our music is like our language; we write one way, but speak entirely differently." And so it is. We are at a point where we know how to imitate this musical style, but to perform it with a truly authentic "accent-free" flow, there is still a long way to go. Starting in 2025, we have chosen Tallinn’s St Mary's Cathedral as the main venue for the festival. Chamber concerts will traditionally continue at the House of the Blackheads.