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THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM ANNOUNCES 2021-22 SEASON Bach is Back! A Season of Renewal
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem has announced its 2021-22 Concert Season – which will celebrate the return to live performance and highlight the leadership and prodigious career of our Artistic Director and Conductor, Greg Funfgeld, as he concludes his 39-year tenure with The Choir. Titled “A Season of Renewal,” The Choir will share and experience the long-delayed return to live concerts, and feel spirits renewed and revitalized with the music of J.S. Bach, throughout our season and at the 114th Bethlehem Bach Festival in May, 2022.
After more than a year of reinvention and resourcefulness, as The Choir delivered virtual concerts with great enthusiasm and passion, Greg Funfgeld reflected on the music to come this season: “In this, my final season as The Bach Choir’s sixth Artistic Director and Conductor, there is so much music to share, so much music that I dearly love – The Saint Matthew Passion, Mass in B Minor, and the Christmas Oratorio – all Bach masterpieces! Then Part Two of Handel’s MESSIAH (including his immortal “Hallelujah Chorus”) paired with Maurice Duruflé’s incredible setting of the REQUIEM – one of the most important choral works of the twentieth century – a mix of chant melodies and lush, Romantic harmonies – stunning! BACH AT NOON continues and remains so popular with so many, for which I am profoundly grateful. The singers of The Bach Choir, the virtuosi of The Bach Festival Orchestra, our incredible soloists, and our precious and devoted audience members – it’s a season of festivity and endless beauty!”
This season is also a first for newly appointed Executive Director, Leela Breithaupt. Leela brings 8 years in Executive Arts Administration, most recently as President and CEO of IndyBaroque Music, Inc. Ms. Breithaupt is eager to lead the administration of the Choir in this year of renewal and a return to live performances, while embracing the technology that has enlarged The Choir’s footprint around the world. When announcing the 21-22 Season, Leela commented, “As this “Season of Renewal” begins, I look forward to welcoming back our wonderful audience with our thanks for staying with us through these very difficult months, and also to greeting new audiences joining us! Returning to live performances means so much to our Choir Members and our Orchestra, and we can’t wait to see our audiences again. We are also pleased to continue offering the option of joining us in virtual performances this season with selected Bach at Noon concerts, our Bethlehem Christmas Concert and the Mass in B Minor on our second Festival weekend. I feel fortunate that my first season here offers me the opportunity to celebrate the career, influence and impact of Greg Funfgeld and the many ways he has embraced our community, as he leads us through his 39th season as Artistic Director and Conductor.”
Johann Sebastian Bach’s music remains at the heart of The Choir’s performances, with additional repertoire from both baroque masters and significant 20th century composers, as well as the artistry of our exquisite soloists at our Festival. Distinguished Artist-in-residence for the Festival is guitarist Elliot Fisk, performing Boccherini’s Concerto in E Major for Guitar and Orchestra and Bach’s famous Chaconne in D Minor with the student composers who participate in The Choir’s Chaconne project. In addition to the annual performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, the 2022 Festival will include another monumental work, the Saint Matthew Passion, presented in two parts, with The Bel Canto Youth Chorus joining that performance.
The Bel Canto Youth Chorus, The Choir’s affiliated Youth Chorus, will present two concerts this season, in December and April. Bel Canto will also host a Choral Directors Workshop in January and Choral Village in July, 2022. Choral Village offers an enriching summer camp led by faculty specializing in the Arts, for middle school students as they dive into world music reflecting the many cultures found in the Lehigh Valley.
Founded in 1898, the Bach Choir celebrates its 124th season this year, and presents more than 40 concerts and educational programs for an audience of more than 22,000 who attend from across the country and around the world. As Artistic Director and Conductor Funfgeld begins his 39th and final season with the Choir, his commitment to the community has been and continues to be significant, as he envisions and implements the Choir’s ever-expanding role in education and community engagement.
About The Bach Choir of Bethlehem
“Their choral sonority is so rich you can feel it in your bones.” –Wall Street Journal, May 2015
A glorious friendship between a great composer and the orchestra, conductor and choir at the heart of an extraordinary town.” – The Whole Note, Toronto, June 2015
“The Bach Choir must surely be one of the most extraordinary musical institutions in the world.”
New York Arts, 2016
Over three decades, Funfgeld has guided the Bach Choir skillfully and imaginatively to unprecedented levels of impact, public service, and artistic distinction.
- Ellis Finger, Director Emeritus, Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College 2020
A Joyful Noise made stunning, unexpected connections across the community. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, a church Gospel Choir, high school choruses, a juggler, an astonishing body percussionist, a New Orleans style brass band, a garage rock band, and Ysaye Barnwell getting maybe 800 people to sing together. Diversity, youth, and the interconnectedness of everybody. Bet you could feel the hope from there.”
- Jerry Stropnicky – theater director, Bloomsburg PA 2019
The oldest American Bach Choir, THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM gave the first complete American performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor in 1900 and Christmas Oratorio in 1901. Since its founding in 1898, the now-famous Choir has been attracting thousands of visitors from across the United States and beyond to the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival in Pennsylvania. Since 1983, under Greg Funfgeld’s direction, the 85 dedicated volunteer singers of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, performing with the Bach Festival Orchestra and distinguished soloists, have received international acclaim. Programming has expanded to 40 concerts and educational programs per year for an audience of more than 22,000. Venues have included the Herkulessaal at Munich’s Royal Residence and the Thomaskirche, Bach’s church in Leipzig, as part of the 1995 Germany tour; The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall as part of The Choir’s Centennial Celebration in 1998–2000; the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of an eight-concert tour of the United Kingdom in 2003; and Severance Hall, Cleveland, for the 75th anniversary of the Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival in 2007. In September 2011, The Bach Choir represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a 10th anniversary musical observance of 9/11 in New York City, giving concerts in Saint Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church, Wall Street. In 2013, The Choir performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Strathmore in the Washington D.C. area, and in 2014, the new opera Young Meister Bach for the 250th anniversary of the German Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Choir has released 11 recordings on the Dorian and Analekta labels including most recently Bach’s Cantata 21 (2018), Handel’s Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day (2018), A Child’s Christmas in Bethlehem (2013), and Saint John Passion (2012). The Choir has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and Prairie Home Companion, Deutsche Radio, the BBC World Service, CBS Sunday Morning, and the Emmy award-winning PBS documentary on The Choir, Make a Joyful Noise. It has been recognized for its outstanding educational outreach programs (Bach at Noon, Bach to School, and interdisciplinary Family Concerts) by annual awards from the National Endowment for the Arts (2011–2019). The J.S. Bach Foundation in Switzerland named The Bach Choir of Bethlehem as the first American recipient of its annual award to a single Bach organization, recognizing The Bach Choir’s outstanding work in Bach performance and education for young people (2012). Mr. Bach Comes to Call, a film based on the acclaimed Classical Kids CD, was co-produced by The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and is distributed internationally by the Children’s Group. Our affiliated Bel Canto Youth Chorus is currently celebrating its 29th year under the direction of founder Joy Hirokawa. Both organizations are looking to increase their impact in training the next generation of choral singers and cultivating a life-long passion for the choral arts. For more information visit The Bach Choir’s website – BACH.org.
About The Bel Canto Youth Chorus
Founded in 1993 and comprised of auditioned treble singers from five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania, The Bel Canto Youth Chorus has developed an international reputation for performing diversified choral repertoire at the highest standard of musical excellence and style. Noted for the innovative, artistic programs they present, the choir has been invited to perform for numerous music conferences, including the Eastern Division ACDA (2010 and 2006), Eastern Division MENC, PMEA, AGO and Pennsylvania ACDA conferences. In 2013, the choir completed a recording with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem for a Christmas CD that was released on the Analekta label. The choir was honored in July 2011 to be recognized as the winner of The American Prize in the Children’s Chorus category. The choir frequently collaborates with other artists, such as the Allentown Symphony, the Bucks County Choral Society, and the Lehigh University Choral Union. They performed a Concert for Peace with Philadelphia based Atzilut in March 2009. In 2007, the choir was honored to be part of the Philadelphia premiere performance of John Adams’ On the Transmigration of Souls, presented by the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia (Alan Harler, director). Tours have taken the choir to Central Europe, Italy, Ireland, Canada, England, Oregon, Brooklyn, Disneyworld, Ohio, and twice to Hawaii for the Pacific Rim Children’s Choral Festival under the direction of Henry Leck. The choir has been under the direction of Dr. Joy Hirokawa since its founding in 1993.
In the 2019-20 season, Bel Canto participated in “A Joyful Noise” a major community-wide choral event co-produced by The Bach Choir and Touchtone Theatre for Touchstone’s Festival Unbound, as well as in The Bach Choir’s Family Concert – Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood (Noyes Fludde), February 29 and March 1, 2020.
For the 2020-21 Season, Bel Canto and Joy Hirokawa shared an imaginative virtual curriculum both in the annual Choral Village summer camp and its "Stand-up" Summer Camp, a partnership with The Choir School of Delaware for a Choral Intensive featuring music from the movie “Harriet.” This new choral collaboration celebrates the legacy of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in the Brandywine and Lehigh Valleys and focused on building empathy and understanding. Bal Canto’s film, “Stand Up: Singing the Underground Railroad” premiered in June, 2021 and featured spirituals, traditional songs and messages about the journey and experiences of those who travelled on the Underground Railroad as it pass through the Lehigh Valley area. Greg Funfgeld will work with the Bel Canto choristers throughout the season to prepare them for their role in the epic musical and spiritual journey of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion at the 2022 Bethlehem Bach Festival.
In the summer of 2022, Bel Canto students will join with youth choirs from Washington, D.C. and Wilmington, DE in a tour that traces Harriet Tubman’s journey from Maryland to her home in Auburn, NY. A tour to Canada is also planned for the summer of 2022.
For more information: https://bach.org/belcanto/
For tickets and further information: BACH.org, 610-866-4382
SEASON & FESTIVAL SCHEDULE WITH REPERTOIRE AND ARTISTS – SEE PAGES 4-8
All repertoire, performance details and soloists subject to change.
2021-22 Concert Season and Schedule
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem & Bach Festival Orchestra
Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director and Conductor
The Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem
Joy Hirokawa, founder and Artistic Director
(All repertoire, performance details and soloists subject to change)
Bach at Noon
Second Tuesdays, 12:10-1:00pm
Free admission and no need for a reservation. Doors open at 11:30am.
The Choir begins this season in person and virtually, with our September Bach at Noon in Bethlehem. Exquisite performances, coupled with Greg Funfgeld’s remarks and examples of the music to come, these concerts help many people discover the glory of Bach’s repertoire through this unique concert experience.
Come early to be sure of a seat. A free-will offering will be received.
2021-2021 Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem
September 14 – The 115th Bach at Noon in Bethlehem!
In-person and LIVE-STREAMED
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major
Cantata 137 – “Lobe den Herren”
Soloists include:
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
Brian Giebler, tenor
David Newman, bass-baritone
October 12 –
Includes:
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Stabat Mater
Soloists include:
Nola Richardson, soprano
Janna Critz, mezzo-soprano
November 9 –
In-person and LIVE-STREAMED
Includes:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata 140 – “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”
One of Bach’s most beloved cantatas…first heard in Bethlehem in 1903
January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, 2022
Repertoire to be announced.
Summer Series in partnership with Arts at St. Johns
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
June 14 (In-person and LIVE-STREAMED), July 12, August 19, 2022
Please visit BACH.ORG for the complete 2021-22 Bach at Noon repertoire
Young American Singer’s Competition
November 14, 2022 - rescheduled from 2020.
FREE – no tickets required. Co-sponsored by The American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. More information to come on bach.org.
Bel Canto Youth Chorus Winter Concert
Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2pm
St. John Windish Church, Bethlehem
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
Christmas Concerts – J.S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio, Parts 1, 2 & 3
Saturday December 11, 2021 at 8pm
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown
Sunday December 12, 2021 at 4pm* - In-person and LIVE-STREAMED
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Tickets: $38, Students (up to 22) $9 | Live-stream $20
Greg Funfgeld Family Concert – Dancing with Bach
Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 3pm
Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
A collaboration with The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts Dance Department
Tickets: $18, Students (up to 22) $9
Spring Concert – Duruflé and Handel: Requiem and Messiah, Part 2
Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Tickets: $39, Students (up to 22) $9
Bel Canto Spring Concert
Saturday, April, 23, 2022 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
Gala – Yo-Yo Ma & Kathryn Stott
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 8pm
Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem
Fundraiser - Benefactor Cocktails, Dinner & Auction at 5pm
DeSales University
Tickets: $95 | $70 | $50 | Student $9
Benefactors: $275 ($150 is tax deductible)
Benefactors enjoy reserved premium concert seating, cocktails, dinner, & auction.
Become a Benefactor and support The Bach Choir by calling 610.866.4382 ext. 113 or 110
114th Bethlehem Bach Festival May 13-14 & 20 – 21, 2022
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and Bach Festival Orchestra
Greg Funfgeld, artistic director and conductor
Soloists include:
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano
Daniel Taylor, counter-tenor
Meg Bragle, alto
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
Isaiah Bell, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Festival Artist-in-Residence – Eliot Fisk, Guitar
Main Street Brass – Festival Brass Choir
Youth Ensembles including Lehigh Valley Suzuki violin program
Festival Tickets: Adults $20-$58, Students $9-$20
Fridays May 13 & 14, 2022
NOON – Festival Opening!
Payrow Plaza, adjacent to City Hall in downtown Bethlehem
The Festival opens outside on Payrow Plaza, adjacent to the Bethlehem Public Library and City Hall. Led by our principal violist Paul Miller, this casual concert presents arrangements using electric violin along with other “modern” instruments to offer some classic pieces in this open-air setting.
2pm Barnette Distinguished Scholar Lecture – Dr. George Stauffer – Great Expectations: Bach in Leipzig – Zoellner Arts Center Room 145
The Choir welcomes back Dr. Stauffer, Distinguished Professor of Music History and Dean Emeritus of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Educated at Dartmouth College, Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University, he well known for his writings on the music and culture of the Baroque Era and the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach, in particular. Professor Stauffer is presently at work on the volume Why Bach Matters, to be published by Yale University Press.
4pm Part 1 · 8pm Part 2
Saint Matthew Passion
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
Close to Zoellner Arts Center – an easy walk or shuttle bus ride.
Both cosmic and operatic in its scope, this piece contains moments of stunning intimacy that will shock listeners with equal power and beauty. Performed in two parts, it utilizes three choirs, two orchestras and a wealth of soloists. Bel Canto Youth Chorus will join The Bach Choir to sing the great chorale, “O Lamb of God.” This work of extraordinary complexity and power goes straight from Bach’s heart and mind to those of the listeners.
5:45pm – Buffet Dinner with informal talk – Dr. Larry Lipkis
Butz Lobby, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
Dr. Lipkis is Professor of Music and Composer-in-residence at Moravian College
Saturdays, May 14 and 21, 2022
10:30am – Ifor Jones Chamber Music Concert
Bach Festival Orchestra, Eliot Fisk and Chaconne Project
Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center
A breathtaking guitar concerto, a beautiful sonata and the return of the Chaconne students’ masterful compositions.
Luigi Boccherini Concerto in E major for Guitar and Orchestra, featuring artist-in-residence, Eliot Fisk
J. S. Bach Trio Sonata No. 5 in C Major, BWC 529 with Charlotte Mattax Moersch
Chaconne Project Guided by Dr. Larry Lipkis, young musicians will perform variations they have composed over the chord progressions heard in Bach’s famous Chaconne in D Minor. Eliot Fisk performs the solo Chaconne as a finale.
12:30pm Festival Lunch - Butz Lobby, Zoellner Arts Center
This special event, open to the public, includes remarks from one of our Festival soloists
2:00pm Bach Chorale Sing Part 2
Friends and choral enthusiasts gather together outdoors near Packer Church to sing Bach chorales for 20 minutes with Greg Funfgeld and members of The Choir, accompanied by The Festival Brass Choir.
2:30pm The Mass in B Minor (Part 1) and 4:30pm (Part 2) – Packer Memorial Church
The choir has performed Bach’s magnificent Mass in B Minor for more than a century. This year’s performance will be poignant for many reasons. Absent from Bethlehem for the past two years, we recognize more than ever before the treasure this tradition represents for so many. Join us for Conductor Funfgeld’s final Festival weekends as our Artistic Director as he leads his beloved Choir and Orchestra in this monumental composition. The performance on Saturday, May 21 will be live in-person and live-streamed.
After more than a year of reinvention and resourcefulness, as The Choir delivered virtual concerts with great enthusiasm and passion, Greg Funfgeld reflected on the music to come this season: “In this, my final season as The Bach Choir’s sixth Artistic Director and Conductor, there is so much music to share, so much music that I dearly love – The Saint Matthew Passion, Mass in B Minor, and the Christmas Oratorio – all Bach masterpieces! Then Part Two of Handel’s MESSIAH (including his immortal “Hallelujah Chorus”) paired with Maurice Duruflé’s incredible setting of the REQUIEM – one of the most important choral works of the twentieth century – a mix of chant melodies and lush, Romantic harmonies – stunning! BACH AT NOON continues and remains so popular with so many, for which I am profoundly grateful. The singers of The Bach Choir, the virtuosi of The Bach Festival Orchestra, our incredible soloists, and our precious and devoted audience members – it’s a season of festivity and endless beauty!”
This season is also a first for newly appointed Executive Director, Leela Breithaupt. Leela brings 8 years in Executive Arts Administration, most recently as President and CEO of IndyBaroque Music, Inc. Ms. Breithaupt is eager to lead the administration of the Choir in this year of renewal and a return to live performances, while embracing the technology that has enlarged The Choir’s footprint around the world. When announcing the 21-22 Season, Leela commented, “As this “Season of Renewal” begins, I look forward to welcoming back our wonderful audience with our thanks for staying with us through these very difficult months, and also to greeting new audiences joining us! Returning to live performances means so much to our Choir Members and our Orchestra, and we can’t wait to see our audiences again. We are also pleased to continue offering the option of joining us in virtual performances this season with selected Bach at Noon concerts, our Bethlehem Christmas Concert and the Mass in B Minor on our second Festival weekend. I feel fortunate that my first season here offers me the opportunity to celebrate the career, influence and impact of Greg Funfgeld and the many ways he has embraced our community, as he leads us through his 39th season as Artistic Director and Conductor.”
Johann Sebastian Bach’s music remains at the heart of The Choir’s performances, with additional repertoire from both baroque masters and significant 20th century composers, as well as the artistry of our exquisite soloists at our Festival. Distinguished Artist-in-residence for the Festival is guitarist Elliot Fisk, performing Boccherini’s Concerto in E Major for Guitar and Orchestra and Bach’s famous Chaconne in D Minor with the student composers who participate in The Choir’s Chaconne project. In addition to the annual performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, the 2022 Festival will include another monumental work, the Saint Matthew Passion, presented in two parts, with The Bel Canto Youth Chorus joining that performance.
The Bel Canto Youth Chorus, The Choir’s affiliated Youth Chorus, will present two concerts this season, in December and April. Bel Canto will also host a Choral Directors Workshop in January and Choral Village in July, 2022. Choral Village offers an enriching summer camp led by faculty specializing in the Arts, for middle school students as they dive into world music reflecting the many cultures found in the Lehigh Valley.
Founded in 1898, the Bach Choir celebrates its 124th season this year, and presents more than 40 concerts and educational programs for an audience of more than 22,000 who attend from across the country and around the world. As Artistic Director and Conductor Funfgeld begins his 39th and final season with the Choir, his commitment to the community has been and continues to be significant, as he envisions and implements the Choir’s ever-expanding role in education and community engagement.
About The Bach Choir of Bethlehem
“Their choral sonority is so rich you can feel it in your bones.” –Wall Street Journal, May 2015
A glorious friendship between a great composer and the orchestra, conductor and choir at the heart of an extraordinary town.” – The Whole Note, Toronto, June 2015
“The Bach Choir must surely be one of the most extraordinary musical institutions in the world.”
New York Arts, 2016
Over three decades, Funfgeld has guided the Bach Choir skillfully and imaginatively to unprecedented levels of impact, public service, and artistic distinction.
- Ellis Finger, Director Emeritus, Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College 2020
A Joyful Noise made stunning, unexpected connections across the community. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, a church Gospel Choir, high school choruses, a juggler, an astonishing body percussionist, a New Orleans style brass band, a garage rock band, and Ysaye Barnwell getting maybe 800 people to sing together. Diversity, youth, and the interconnectedness of everybody. Bet you could feel the hope from there.”
- Jerry Stropnicky – theater director, Bloomsburg PA 2019
The oldest American Bach Choir, THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM gave the first complete American performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor in 1900 and Christmas Oratorio in 1901. Since its founding in 1898, the now-famous Choir has been attracting thousands of visitors from across the United States and beyond to the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival in Pennsylvania. Since 1983, under Greg Funfgeld’s direction, the 85 dedicated volunteer singers of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, performing with the Bach Festival Orchestra and distinguished soloists, have received international acclaim. Programming has expanded to 40 concerts and educational programs per year for an audience of more than 22,000. Venues have included the Herkulessaal at Munich’s Royal Residence and the Thomaskirche, Bach’s church in Leipzig, as part of the 1995 Germany tour; The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall as part of The Choir’s Centennial Celebration in 1998–2000; the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of an eight-concert tour of the United Kingdom in 2003; and Severance Hall, Cleveland, for the 75th anniversary of the Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival in 2007. In September 2011, The Bach Choir represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a 10th anniversary musical observance of 9/11 in New York City, giving concerts in Saint Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church, Wall Street. In 2013, The Choir performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Strathmore in the Washington D.C. area, and in 2014, the new opera Young Meister Bach for the 250th anniversary of the German Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Choir has released 11 recordings on the Dorian and Analekta labels including most recently Bach’s Cantata 21 (2018), Handel’s Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day (2018), A Child’s Christmas in Bethlehem (2013), and Saint John Passion (2012). The Choir has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and Prairie Home Companion, Deutsche Radio, the BBC World Service, CBS Sunday Morning, and the Emmy award-winning PBS documentary on The Choir, Make a Joyful Noise. It has been recognized for its outstanding educational outreach programs (Bach at Noon, Bach to School, and interdisciplinary Family Concerts) by annual awards from the National Endowment for the Arts (2011–2019). The J.S. Bach Foundation in Switzerland named The Bach Choir of Bethlehem as the first American recipient of its annual award to a single Bach organization, recognizing The Bach Choir’s outstanding work in Bach performance and education for young people (2012). Mr. Bach Comes to Call, a film based on the acclaimed Classical Kids CD, was co-produced by The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and is distributed internationally by the Children’s Group. Our affiliated Bel Canto Youth Chorus is currently celebrating its 29th year under the direction of founder Joy Hirokawa. Both organizations are looking to increase their impact in training the next generation of choral singers and cultivating a life-long passion for the choral arts. For more information visit The Bach Choir’s website – BACH.org.
About The Bel Canto Youth Chorus
Founded in 1993 and comprised of auditioned treble singers from five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania, The Bel Canto Youth Chorus has developed an international reputation for performing diversified choral repertoire at the highest standard of musical excellence and style. Noted for the innovative, artistic programs they present, the choir has been invited to perform for numerous music conferences, including the Eastern Division ACDA (2010 and 2006), Eastern Division MENC, PMEA, AGO and Pennsylvania ACDA conferences. In 2013, the choir completed a recording with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem for a Christmas CD that was released on the Analekta label. The choir was honored in July 2011 to be recognized as the winner of The American Prize in the Children’s Chorus category. The choir frequently collaborates with other artists, such as the Allentown Symphony, the Bucks County Choral Society, and the Lehigh University Choral Union. They performed a Concert for Peace with Philadelphia based Atzilut in March 2009. In 2007, the choir was honored to be part of the Philadelphia premiere performance of John Adams’ On the Transmigration of Souls, presented by the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia (Alan Harler, director). Tours have taken the choir to Central Europe, Italy, Ireland, Canada, England, Oregon, Brooklyn, Disneyworld, Ohio, and twice to Hawaii for the Pacific Rim Children’s Choral Festival under the direction of Henry Leck. The choir has been under the direction of Dr. Joy Hirokawa since its founding in 1993.
In the 2019-20 season, Bel Canto participated in “A Joyful Noise” a major community-wide choral event co-produced by The Bach Choir and Touchtone Theatre for Touchstone’s Festival Unbound, as well as in The Bach Choir’s Family Concert – Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood (Noyes Fludde), February 29 and March 1, 2020.
For the 2020-21 Season, Bel Canto and Joy Hirokawa shared an imaginative virtual curriculum both in the annual Choral Village summer camp and its "Stand-up" Summer Camp, a partnership with The Choir School of Delaware for a Choral Intensive featuring music from the movie “Harriet.” This new choral collaboration celebrates the legacy of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in the Brandywine and Lehigh Valleys and focused on building empathy and understanding. Bal Canto’s film, “Stand Up: Singing the Underground Railroad” premiered in June, 2021 and featured spirituals, traditional songs and messages about the journey and experiences of those who travelled on the Underground Railroad as it pass through the Lehigh Valley area. Greg Funfgeld will work with the Bel Canto choristers throughout the season to prepare them for their role in the epic musical and spiritual journey of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion at the 2022 Bethlehem Bach Festival.
In the summer of 2022, Bel Canto students will join with youth choirs from Washington, D.C. and Wilmington, DE in a tour that traces Harriet Tubman’s journey from Maryland to her home in Auburn, NY. A tour to Canada is also planned for the summer of 2022.
For more information: https://bach.org/belcanto/
For tickets and further information: BACH.org, 610-866-4382
SEASON & FESTIVAL SCHEDULE WITH REPERTOIRE AND ARTISTS – SEE PAGES 4-8
All repertoire, performance details and soloists subject to change.
2021-22 Concert Season and Schedule
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem & Bach Festival Orchestra
Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director and Conductor
The Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem
Joy Hirokawa, founder and Artistic Director
(All repertoire, performance details and soloists subject to change)
Bach at Noon
Second Tuesdays, 12:10-1:00pm
Free admission and no need for a reservation. Doors open at 11:30am.
The Choir begins this season in person and virtually, with our September Bach at Noon in Bethlehem. Exquisite performances, coupled with Greg Funfgeld’s remarks and examples of the music to come, these concerts help many people discover the glory of Bach’s repertoire through this unique concert experience.
Come early to be sure of a seat. A free-will offering will be received.
2021-2021 Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem
September 14 – The 115th Bach at Noon in Bethlehem!
In-person and LIVE-STREAMED
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major
Cantata 137 – “Lobe den Herren”
Soloists include:
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
Brian Giebler, tenor
David Newman, bass-baritone
October 12 –
Includes:
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Stabat Mater
Soloists include:
Nola Richardson, soprano
Janna Critz, mezzo-soprano
November 9 –
In-person and LIVE-STREAMED
Includes:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata 140 – “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme”
One of Bach’s most beloved cantatas…first heard in Bethlehem in 1903
January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, 2022
Repertoire to be announced.
Summer Series in partnership with Arts at St. Johns
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
June 14 (In-person and LIVE-STREAMED), July 12, August 19, 2022
Please visit BACH.ORG for the complete 2021-22 Bach at Noon repertoire
Young American Singer’s Competition
November 14, 2022 - rescheduled from 2020.
FREE – no tickets required. Co-sponsored by The American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. More information to come on bach.org.
Bel Canto Youth Chorus Winter Concert
Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2pm
St. John Windish Church, Bethlehem
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
Christmas Concerts – J.S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio, Parts 1, 2 & 3
Saturday December 11, 2021 at 8pm
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown
Sunday December 12, 2021 at 4pm* - In-person and LIVE-STREAMED
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Tickets: $38, Students (up to 22) $9 | Live-stream $20
Greg Funfgeld Family Concert – Dancing with Bach
Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 3pm
Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
A collaboration with The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts Dance Department
Tickets: $18, Students (up to 22) $9
Spring Concert – Duruflé and Handel: Requiem and Messiah, Part 2
Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Tickets: $39, Students (up to 22) $9
Bel Canto Spring Concert
Saturday, April, 23, 2022 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
Gala – Yo-Yo Ma & Kathryn Stott
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 8pm
Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem
Fundraiser - Benefactor Cocktails, Dinner & Auction at 5pm
DeSales University
Tickets: $95 | $70 | $50 | Student $9
Benefactors: $275 ($150 is tax deductible)
Benefactors enjoy reserved premium concert seating, cocktails, dinner, & auction.
Become a Benefactor and support The Bach Choir by calling 610.866.4382 ext. 113 or 110
114th Bethlehem Bach Festival May 13-14 & 20 – 21, 2022
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and Bach Festival Orchestra
Greg Funfgeld, artistic director and conductor
Soloists include:
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano
Daniel Taylor, counter-tenor
Meg Bragle, alto
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
Isaiah Bell, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Festival Artist-in-Residence – Eliot Fisk, Guitar
Main Street Brass – Festival Brass Choir
Youth Ensembles including Lehigh Valley Suzuki violin program
Festival Tickets: Adults $20-$58, Students $9-$20
Fridays May 13 & 14, 2022
NOON – Festival Opening!
Payrow Plaza, adjacent to City Hall in downtown Bethlehem
The Festival opens outside on Payrow Plaza, adjacent to the Bethlehem Public Library and City Hall. Led by our principal violist Paul Miller, this casual concert presents arrangements using electric violin along with other “modern” instruments to offer some classic pieces in this open-air setting.
2pm Barnette Distinguished Scholar Lecture – Dr. George Stauffer – Great Expectations: Bach in Leipzig – Zoellner Arts Center Room 145
The Choir welcomes back Dr. Stauffer, Distinguished Professor of Music History and Dean Emeritus of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Educated at Dartmouth College, Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University, he well known for his writings on the music and culture of the Baroque Era and the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach, in particular. Professor Stauffer is presently at work on the volume Why Bach Matters, to be published by Yale University Press.
4pm Part 1 · 8pm Part 2
Saint Matthew Passion
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
Close to Zoellner Arts Center – an easy walk or shuttle bus ride.
Both cosmic and operatic in its scope, this piece contains moments of stunning intimacy that will shock listeners with equal power and beauty. Performed in two parts, it utilizes three choirs, two orchestras and a wealth of soloists. Bel Canto Youth Chorus will join The Bach Choir to sing the great chorale, “O Lamb of God.” This work of extraordinary complexity and power goes straight from Bach’s heart and mind to those of the listeners.
5:45pm – Buffet Dinner with informal talk – Dr. Larry Lipkis
Butz Lobby, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
Dr. Lipkis is Professor of Music and Composer-in-residence at Moravian College
Saturdays, May 14 and 21, 2022
10:30am – Ifor Jones Chamber Music Concert
Bach Festival Orchestra, Eliot Fisk and Chaconne Project
Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center
A breathtaking guitar concerto, a beautiful sonata and the return of the Chaconne students’ masterful compositions.
Luigi Boccherini Concerto in E major for Guitar and Orchestra, featuring artist-in-residence, Eliot Fisk
J. S. Bach Trio Sonata No. 5 in C Major, BWC 529 with Charlotte Mattax Moersch
Chaconne Project Guided by Dr. Larry Lipkis, young musicians will perform variations they have composed over the chord progressions heard in Bach’s famous Chaconne in D Minor. Eliot Fisk performs the solo Chaconne as a finale.
12:30pm Festival Lunch - Butz Lobby, Zoellner Arts Center
This special event, open to the public, includes remarks from one of our Festival soloists
2:00pm Bach Chorale Sing Part 2
Friends and choral enthusiasts gather together outdoors near Packer Church to sing Bach chorales for 20 minutes with Greg Funfgeld and members of The Choir, accompanied by The Festival Brass Choir.
2:30pm The Mass in B Minor (Part 1) and 4:30pm (Part 2) – Packer Memorial Church
The choir has performed Bach’s magnificent Mass in B Minor for more than a century. This year’s performance will be poignant for many reasons. Absent from Bethlehem for the past two years, we recognize more than ever before the treasure this tradition represents for so many. Join us for Conductor Funfgeld’s final Festival weekends as our Artistic Director as he leads his beloved Choir and Orchestra in this monumental composition. The performance on Saturday, May 21 will be live in-person and live-streamed.
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