Brattleboro – The orchestra of the New England Bach Festival was carefully chosen by Blanche Moyse for their dedication to joyful excellence and contained some of the most brilliant players from across the country. Seventeen members of that orchestra reunite to celebrate the 100th birthday of Moyse on Sunday, March 7, at 3 pm at the Latchis Theater.

This special reunion program consists of four concertos from the great baroque repertoire that Moyse favored: the violin/oboe concerto of J.S. Bach, the “Flute Concerto” of C.P.E. Bach, the “Concerto Grosso in A minor” of G.F. Handel, and the astonishing “Second Brandenburg Concerto” of J.S. Bach.

The solo players on those concertos, Steven Taylor, oboe, Susan Rotholz, flute, Peggy Spencer, violin, and Carl Albach, trumpet are highly esteemed and sought-after musicians, with performing schedules that are consistently booked months in advance. Yet they, and the rest of the orchestra members, agreedalmost instantly to play this concert when they were contacted by concert coordinator Zon Eastes.

Joining Spencer on the violin/oboe concerto is oboist Taylor. Grammy-nominated Taylor holds the solo oboe chair with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and is co-principal of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and is featured on more than 200 recordings. He is a faculty member at Julliard, Yale, and the Manhattan School of Music.

If passion was the hallmark of Moyse’s approach, it is fitting that the exhilarating “Second Brandenberg Concerto,” featuring Albach on trumpet, be on this program as well. The highly colorful trumpet part of this concerto is considered one of the most difficult in the entire repertoire; high-flying and daring. Albach is the principal trumpet of the American Symphony Orchestra, and is a regular member of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Another featured piece on this concert is the “Flute Concerto” of C.P.E. Bach, played by Rotholtz. Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach was the fifth child of J.S. Bach and a composer in his own right. He believed passionately in highly charged rhetorical delivery and in the creation of stirring and ever-shifting moods. Thus this piece expresses an enormous range of emotions: blind rage, anguished longing, cheeky playfulness, sweet tenderness.

Rotholtz recorded with the New England Bach Festival orchestra in 1990. Rotholtz, known for her sensitive yet virtuosic playing, is currently on the faculty of Columbia University and Hunter College.

Rounding out the program is the “Concerto Grosso” by Handel, a quirky piece with lots of unexpected turns. “Blanche was very funny sometimes,” says violinist Evan Johnson. “She liked pieces that kept her intellect and sense of humor working overtime.”

“Blanche taught us that every note has meaning, and that every note and phrase mattered,” says violinist Kathy Andrew, who played with the Festival for close to 20 years. “She challenged us to develop our technical skills so that we would be able to ultimately liberate our playing -- getting the bow to have life and lift -- the dance of the musician with their instrument.”

What drew the players together in the first place is what draws them to return to Brattleboro to honor Moyse on the occasion of her 100th birthday: a passion for meaning, a quest for beauty, the expression of a more perfect vision. And ultimately the joyful sounds of a Bach concerto filling the air with pure love.

The New England Bach Festival Musicians Reunion Concert will be held on Sunday, March 7, at 3 pm, at the Latchis Theater. Tickets ($30, $20, $10) can be purchased by calling the Brattleboro Music Center at (802) 257-4523 or by visiting www.bmcvt.org. A reception will follow immediately after the concert at Windham Wines. After-party tickets are $45 for all-inclusive hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Reservations are encouraged.