Helmuth Rilling co-founded the Oregon Bach Festival and was a music education pioneer. He died on Feb. 11 at age 92.
Helmuth Rilling, a renowned conductor and co-founder of the Oregon Bach Festival, died Feb. 11. He was 92 years old. The music scene of Eugene, including the Oregon Bach Festival and the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, are mourning his passing and reflecting on his contributions to the community.
Rilling was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1933. While living in Germany, he founded the Gächinger Kantorei and the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, which both later would be celebrated for their expressive clarity and scholarly rigor.
When he came to Eugene in 1970, Rilling was recognized as the founder of “a chorale group and orchestra from Stuttgart, Germany, that is in demand throughout Europe and will tour the United States for the second time next year.” (The Register-Guard, 1970) At the time, more than 60 recordings of his performances had been cut on various European labels.
In the summer of 1970, Rilling held a modest summer workshop at the University of Oregon. The workshop touched on choral conducting and organ playing, two areas of expertise for Rilling, and also featured a Friday night choral performance of 30 select voices from around Eugene. Riling returned in August of 1971 to conduct three more choral workshops at UO, and then again in 1972. It was these lowkey festivals, called the Baroque Festival of Music at the time, that became the Oregon Bach Festival Eugene knows and loves today.
By 1980, co-founders Rilling and Saltzman had placed Oregon Bach Festival “among the nation’s leading music festivals.” A Register-Guard article titled “UO Music Festival earns encore” detailed the slow and steady rise of Bach Fest, noting Saltzman got so many applications for the festival that year he had difficulty accommodating them all; a big difference from the small group that banded together in 1970.
Fred Crafts wrote that “[a]nyone who misses attending at least one festival concert is denying himself one of the finest musical experiences of his lifetime, regardless of how he feels about classical music. The performances are impeccable, passionate, and brilliant.”
Rilling spoke of the uniqueness of hosting a music festival in Eugene, a town he called “small, but very urban.”
“People are very friendly,” Rilling said. “They open their doors to get people involved — the artists in the festival, the orchestra, people in the workshop and so on. Everybody wants to be involved in it. It just creates a lot of atmosphere.”
The Oregon Bach Festival is revered both for its high-caliber performances and educational programs. The Oregon Bach Festival website states “[m]ore than 1,200 performers from around the world trained in OBF’s conducting master classes, many of whom went on to distinguished careers.”
Rilling served as the Oregon Bach Festival’s artistic director for more than four decades. He retired from the role in 2013.
“Helmuth’s legacy is immeasurable,” Sabrina Madison-Cannon, dean of the UO’s School of Music and Dance, said in a press release. “Through his profound musicianship and deep humanity, he transformed Oregon Bach Festival and the city of Eugene into a beacon of artistic and educational excellence. His influence will continue to resonate through generations of musicians and audiences worldwide.”
Rilling is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren, whose support sustained his decades of creative work.
The Oregon Bach Festival plans to honor Rilling during its 2026 and 2027 seasons. If you have a fond memory or story about Rilling that you would like to share, you can submit your tribute on the Oregon Bach Festival website. Tributes will be shared online.
Samantha Pierotti is the food, drinks and “things to do” reporter for The Register-Guard. With tips on restaurants or local happenings, you can reach her via email at spierotti@registerguard.com.