About Us

 Bach Aria Soloists

“Elizabeth is a marvelous soloist and chamber musician and someone who exemplifies the most accomplished and creative aspects of our finest musicians today.“ 

–  Michael Tilson Thomas

Elizabeth Suh Lane
Founder, Executive-Artistic Director, Violin

Elizabeth has performed across the globe as a chamber and orchestral musician in the finest concert halls – Carnegie, Suntory, Salzburg Festspiele, Berlin’s Philharmonie, Helzberg, Theatre des Champs Elysee, the Barbican, to name a few. She has concertized throughout the world as a first violinist with the London Symphony Orchestra under directors Sir Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas, André Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pierre Boulez, among many others; she toured with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Claudio Abbado, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Gidon Kremer; and with the Academy of St. Martin-in the-Fields under Sir Neville Marriner. She has been invited to perform at numerous international festivals incl: Tanglewood, Britten-Pears, Schleswig–Holstein, Pacific Music, the Carmel Bach Festival. Elizabeth has performed as a substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and served on the faculties of the Snowpond Chamber Music Seminar in Maine and the Brian Lewis Young Artists‘ Program instructing advanced students. She was Artistic Director of the Kansas City String Quartet Program for twelve years leading the national faculty and students to excellence through string quartet preparation, coaching and performance.

Elizabeth is founder-Executive-Artistic Director and violinist of the Bach Aria Soloists. Her leadership has brought world-class collaborations to Kansas City to partner with BAS, incl: the world’s preeminent scholar of Bach Dr. Christoph Wolff; Narong Prangcharoen, whom she commissioned to compose DIALOGUE for BAS’ 15th Anniversary; and Susan Kander who composed Partite Americaine in 2004. Elizabeth invited friend/trumpeter Rodney Marsalis to join BAS for their Evening with Rodney Marsalis; and radio personality-composer Bill McGlaughlin, who presented BAS’ live radio show – Inspired by Bach – broadcast on Kansas Public Radio. McGlaughlin remarked, “Elizabeth is a real virtuoso musician, and what the Bach Aria Soloists are doing is of the highest quality in the most artful manner, the way it should be done.”

Elizabeth has vast experience with chamber music performance and coaching throughout her career on two continents. She was featured on International Television Service- KCPT’s Women and Girls Lead film series and has been broadcast on Kansas Public Radio and KCUR on numerous occasions. In addition to the supremely talented women of BAS, she has performed with excellent colleagues Matt Haimovitz, Anna Lim, Judith Busbridge, Jo-Ann Sternberg, Robert Satterlee’s Piano Trio for a series of concerts and master classes in Ann Arbor and Bowling Green; and with the Maia Quartet for their final concerts. Her string quartet was named the Ensemble-in-Residence at Tanglewood in ’88. Elizabeth was invited as a Fellow for four summers to Tanglewood and was the recipient of the Gustav Golden Award. She had the distinct honor of being selected for the orchestra for Leonard Bernstein’s memorial service at St. John the Divine.

Elizabeth fulfills her love of teaching by mentoring a studio of young violinists who are alumni of Harvard, Juilliard, Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, UCLA, Washington University, Case Western, Stanford, among others. She conducts Orchestral Clinics for thousands of students throughout the metropolitan region via Bach Aria Soloists’ BachReach offering FREE innovative, interactive education to schools and seniors, incl memory care seniors. She was a member of the LSO Education team training teachers/students in schools across Great Britain. The Asian American Chamber of Commerce honored Elizabeth with the Professional Leader of the Year Award for her success and significant contribution to music and education in the community. The Youth Symphony of Kansas City selected Elizabeth for the 2023 Excellence in Music Education Award and the Kansas City Musical Club presented her with the 2024 Annual Award for her outstanding contribution to the cultural life of Kansas City.

Elizabeth was a Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellow and Broadus Erle Memorial Scholar – awarded to the most outstanding string player at Yale University where she studied with Syoko Aki and served as Assistant to Baroque violin specialist Jaap Schröder. She was a Chancellor’s Scholar at UMKC where she studied with Tiberius Klausner.

“Her crystalline tone, impeccable pitch, supple and expressive phrasing, and sparkling coloratura are all exemplary.”  

– Ken Meltzer, Fanfare Magazine

Sarah Tannehill Anderson
Soprano

Sarah Tannehill Anderson is an extremely versatile musician who excels at opera, oratorio, choral music, contemporary works, and art song. In addition to being soprano of Bach Aria Soloists, she has performed with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Boston Lyric, Opera Omaha, Fort Worth Opera, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

In Kansas City, Sarah is a member of the Lyric Arts Trio and former soprano with the Kansas City Chorale with whom she recorded five albums.

Sarah has won two Grammy Awards for her work with the Kansas City Chorale. She is a featured soloist on the Chorale’s recording, Life & Breath – Choral Works By René Clausen, which won the Grammy Award in 2013 for Best Choral Performance. In 2016, Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil won the Grammy for Best Choral Performance. Sarah is nominated for a 2022 Grammy for her work with The Saint Tikhon Choir’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by Benedict Sheehan. She has performed with many other regional ensembles including the Kansas City Symphony, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, the New Ear Ensemble, the Kansas City Ballet and the Heartland Men’s Chorus.

Sarah is the founder of Raise Your Voice a digital hub for vocal training, and resides in the Union Hill neighborhood with her husband, baritone and music educator Sam Anderson.

“a grand performance by Elisa Williams Bickers, but one that retains miraculous clarity. ” 

– Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine

Elisa Williams Bickers
Harpsichord, Organ, Piano

Dr. Elisa Williams Bickers, FAGO, is the harpsichordist, organist, and pianist for the Bach Aria Soloists. She is the associate director of music and principal organist at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. She performs regularly in recital as a solo organist, harpsichordist, and accompanist, including with the Kansas City Symphony, Te Deum Chamber Choir and the Grammy-winning Kansas City Chorale. She has served on the faculties of the UMKC Conservatory and Washburn University as instructor of organ and harpsichord.

A native of Clinton, Maryland, Dr. Bickers began her organ studies with the Potomac Organ Institute. She has degrees in church music and organ performance from Texas Christian University and the University of Kansas. Her teachers have included Dale Krider, Joseph Butler and Michael Bauer. She was awarded the 2009 Carlin Award for excellence in teaching, the highest honor possible for graduate students at KU. She has competed and won prizes in the William Hall Competition, NYACOP and the International Buxtehude Competition. Most recently, she was awarded the Fellow certificate of the American Guild of Organists, the Guild’s most prestigious certification.

Dr. Bickers guided the installation of Richards, Fowkes & Co. (Opus 22) pipe organ at Village, which is a landmark instrument in this city. She was also the chair for New Music for the 2018 American Guild of Organists National Convention.