 The festival was founded in 1970 by German conductor Helmuth Rilling and the former president of the American Choral Directors Association, Royce Saltzman, as an informal series of classes and concerts at the University of Oregon.By the late 1970s, the roster had expanded to include full-scale choral-orchestral performances.Although originally inspired by the music of Bach, the festival quickly moved beyond a strict boundary of repertoire.