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The Bach Choir of Bethlehem & Bach Festival Orchestra 2019-20 Concert Season and Schedule
Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director and Conductor
Bel Canto Youth Chorus of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem Joy Hirokawa, founder and Artistic Director
Bach at Noon
Second Tuesdays, 12:10-1:00pm
Free admission and no need for a reservation. Doors open at 11:30am.
Come early to be sure of a seat. Greg Funfgeld will introduce the music performed by members of The Bach Choir and Bach Festival Orchestra with an informal and enlightening talk. A free-will offering will be received.
2019-2020 Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem
September 10
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata in F Major, KV 332 – Eugene Albulescu, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata 73 – Herr, wie du willt, so shicks mit mir
October 8
J.S. Bach
Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering, BWV 1069
Robin Kani, flute, Elizabeth Field, violin, Loretta O’Sullivan, cello, Greg Funfgeld, harpsichord
Cantata 57 – Selig ist der Mann
Scherezade Panthanki, soprano, Dashon Burton, bass
November 12
Georg Philipp Telemann
Sonatas for Violin, Viola da Gamba, and Harpsichord
J.S. Bach
Cantata 137 – Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren
Please join us this season for our 105th Bethlehem Bach at Noon in February and our 15th Allentown Bach at Noon in June!
January 14, February 11 (our 105th Bach at Noon), March 10, April 14, 2020
Summer Series in partnership with Arts at St. Johns
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
June 9 (our 15th Allentown Bach at Noon performance), July 14, August 11, 2020
Please visit BACH.ORG for the complete 2019-20 Bach at Noon repertoire
A Joyful Noise – Touchstone Theatre’s Festival Unbound
October 6, 2019 at 4 pm – Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
The Bach Choir, Bel Canto Youth Chorus and a group of community choirs join together to share the collective act of music-making.
Gala – Theatre of Early Music presents: Coronation of King George II
Concert - Saturday October 26, 2019 at 3pm
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
Fundraiser - Benefactor Cocktails, Dinner & Auction at 5pm
Lehigh Country Club
Tickets: $40 Students $9
Benefactors: $250 ($100 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
Bel Canto Youth Chorus Winter Concert
Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
Christmas Concerts – Bach and Handel: Magnificat and Messiah, Part 1
Saturday December 7, 2019 at 8pm
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown
Sunday December 8, 2019 at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Tickets: $38, Students (up to 22) $9
Family Concert – Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood (Noyes Fludde)
Saturday, February 29 & Sunday, March 1, 2020 at 3pm
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
Tickets: $18, Students (up to 22) $9
Spring Concert – Bach and Handel: Easter Oratorio and Messiah, part 2
Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Bel Canto Spring Concert
May 2, 2020 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
113th Bethlehem Bach Festival May 8-9 & 15, 16, 17, 2020
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and Bach Festival Orchestra
Greg Funfgeld, artistic director and conductor
Soloists include:
Agnes Zsigovics, soprano
Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano
Krisztina Szabό, mezzo-soprano
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
David Newman, bass (first weekend)
Dashon Burton, bass (second weekend)
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 8 & 15, 2020
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 – Christoff Wolff – Bach in Leipzig: the Composer as Innovator – Zoellner Arts Center Room 145
German-born musicologist Christoff Wolff is one of the foremost Bach Scholars in the world. He is an Adams University Emeritus Professor at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1976. He has published widely on the history of the music of the 15th to the 20th centuries,
including his seminal book Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician (2000). He was director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, 2001 – 2013.
4pm
Choice A) Bach at 4
Incarnation of Our Lord Church, Thomas & Buchanan St.
Close to Zoellner Arts Center – an easy walk or shuttle bus ride.
An audience favorite – we’ll hear from Greg Funfgeld during this “conversation + concert,” offering his commentary and insight into music from Bach and Telemann. J.S. Bach: Cantata 169, Gott soll mein Herze haben will feature mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabo, with Greg Funfgeld playing the organ obbligato.
Georg Philipp Telemann: Suite in A Minor for Flute and Strings, featuring Robin Kani, flute.
J.S. Bach: Lobet den Herrn, a motet not heard at the Festival since 2002.
Bach Chorale Sing Part 1 Arrive early for Bach at 4 and sing Bach chorales with Greg Funfgeld and members of The Choir before the concert. Singers of all levels are welcome and sheet music is provided.
Choice B) Chamber Music in the Saal
Harpsichord and Gambas
Saal of the Moravian Museum, Church St., Bethlehem (second floor not handicapped accessible)
Charlotte Mattax Moersch, harpsichord, Mollie Glazer and John Mark Rozendaal, gambas
The performance in this very special space will include Bach’s Sonata in G, and works by Marin Marais and Mathew Locke.
5:45pm – Buffet Dinner with informal talk, previewing the Bach at 8 concert – Dr. Larry Lipkis
Butz Lobby, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
Dr. Lipkis is Professor of Music and Composer-in-residence at Moravian College
8:00pm – Bach at 8
Three Bach Cantatas: Leipzig in Bethlehem
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
A preview of the performance we’ll give at the Leipzig Bachfest in the glorious Thomaskirche in Leipzig Germany – June, 2020. They are part of a yearly cycle of Chorale Cantatas Bach wrote for the Leipzig churches.
Cantata 8 Liebster Gott, wann werd ish sterben: a stunning and curious cantata whose time-stopping opening chorus begins with the flute chiming the funeral bells of the Thomaskirche over the pizzicato strings, all as part of a stately dance.
Cantata 99 Was got tut, das ist wohlgetan: Festival premiere! Used three times in his cantatas, it includes a gorgeous tenor aria with flute obbligato.
Cantata 130 Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir: Bach’s celebratory Cantata 130 with its virtuosic aria for bass with trumpets, timpani and basso continuo.
Saturdays, May 9 and 16, 2020
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
Another chance to sing Bach chorales for 20 minutes with Greg Funfgeld and members of The Choir. Gather by the flag pole close to Packer Church, and you will be 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. Some reconnect each year with an old friend; others feel the warm embrace of the music for the first time as it fills Packer Church. Join us as we share this monumental composition with our community that gathers from around the country and around the world.
7:00pm-9:30pm Zimmermann’s Coffee House - Chamber Music, Food & Drink
Peter Hall, Moravian College
Step back in time to Zimmermann’s Coffee House! While living in Leipzig, Bach presented his music at Zimmermann’s and we’ll do the same, offered café style in intimate Peter Hall at Moravian College with its famous 19th century stained glass windows. Hear Baroque chamber music performed by young musicians (chosen by audition) and purchase German fare, wine, and beer throughout the evening. An appearance by Greg Funfgeld and friends adds to the festivities.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Young American Singer’s Competition Finals
1pm Peter Hall, Moravian College
Free Admission, no tickets required. Sponsored by The American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem.
Second Tuesdays, 12:10-1:00pm
Free admission and no need for a reservation. Doors open at 11:30am.
Come early to be sure of a seat. Greg Funfgeld will introduce the music performed by members of The Bach Choir and Bach Festival Orchestra with an informal and enlightening talk. A free-will offering will be received.
2019-2020 Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem
September 10
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata in F Major, KV 332 – Eugene Albulescu, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata 73 – Herr, wie du willt, so shicks mit mir
October 8
J.S. Bach
Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering, BWV 1069
Robin Kani, flute, Elizabeth Field, violin, Loretta O’Sullivan, cello, Greg Funfgeld, harpsichord
Cantata 57 – Selig ist der Mann
Scherezade Panthanki, soprano, Dashon Burton, bass
November 12
Georg Philipp Telemann
Sonatas for Violin, Viola da Gamba, and Harpsichord
J.S. Bach
Cantata 137 – Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren
Please join us this season for our 105th Bethlehem Bach at Noon in February and our 15th Allentown Bach at Noon in June!
January 14, February 11 (our 105th Bach at Noon), March 10, April 14, 2020
Summer Series in partnership with Arts at St. Johns
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
June 9 (our 15th Allentown Bach at Noon performance), July 14, August 11, 2020
Please visit BACH.ORG for the complete 2019-20 Bach at Noon repertoire
A Joyful Noise – Touchstone Theatre’s Festival Unbound
October 6, 2019 at 4 pm – Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
The Bach Choir, Bel Canto Youth Chorus and a group of community choirs join together to share the collective act of music-making.
Gala – Theatre of Early Music presents: Coronation of King George II
Concert - Saturday October 26, 2019 at 3pm
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
Fundraiser - Benefactor Cocktails, Dinner & Auction at 5pm
Lehigh Country Club
Tickets: $40 Students $9
Benefactors: $250 ($100 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
Bel Canto Youth Chorus Winter Concert
Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
Christmas Concerts – Bach and Handel: Magnificat and Messiah, Part 1
Saturday December 7, 2019 at 8pm
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown
Sunday December 8, 2019 at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Tickets: $38, Students (up to 22) $9
Family Concert – Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood (Noyes Fludde)
Saturday, February 29 & Sunday, March 1, 2020 at 3pm
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
Tickets: $18, Students (up to 22) $9
Spring Concert – Bach and Handel: Easter Oratorio and Messiah, part 2
Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Bel Canto Spring Concert
May 2, 2020 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult, Senior and Student $11, Children under 10 are free
Tickets purchased at the door: $15
113th Bethlehem Bach Festival May 8-9 & 15, 16, 17, 2020
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and Bach Festival Orchestra
Greg Funfgeld, artistic director and conductor
Soloists include:
Agnes Zsigovics, soprano
Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano
Krisztina Szabό, mezzo-soprano
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
David Newman, bass (first weekend)
Dashon Burton, bass (second weekend)
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 8 & 15, 2020
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 – Christoff Wolff – Bach in Leipzig: the Composer as Innovator – Zoellner Arts Center Room 145
German-born musicologist Christoff Wolff is one of the foremost Bach Scholars in the world. He is an Adams University Emeritus Professor at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1976. He has published widely on the history of the music of the 15th to the 20th centuries,
including his seminal book Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician (2000). He was director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, 2001 – 2013.
4pm
Choice A) Bach at 4
Incarnation of Our Lord Church, Thomas & Buchanan St.
Close to Zoellner Arts Center – an easy walk or shuttle bus ride.
An audience favorite – we’ll hear from Greg Funfgeld during this “conversation + concert,” offering his commentary and insight into music from Bach and Telemann. J.S. Bach: Cantata 169, Gott soll mein Herze haben will feature mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabo, with Greg Funfgeld playing the organ obbligato.
Georg Philipp Telemann: Suite in A Minor for Flute and Strings, featuring Robin Kani, flute.
J.S. Bach: Lobet den Herrn, a motet not heard at the Festival since 2002.
Bach Chorale Sing Part 1 Arrive early for Bach at 4 and sing Bach chorales with Greg Funfgeld and members of The Choir before the concert. Singers of all levels are welcome and sheet music is provided.
Choice B) Chamber Music in the Saal
Harpsichord and Gambas
Saal of the Moravian Museum, Church St., Bethlehem (second floor not handicapped accessible)
Charlotte Mattax Moersch, harpsichord, Mollie Glazer and John Mark Rozendaal, gambas
The performance in this very special space will include Bach’s Sonata in G, and works by Marin Marais and Mathew Locke.
5:45pm – Buffet Dinner with informal talk, previewing the Bach at 8 concert – Dr. Larry Lipkis
Butz Lobby, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
Dr. Lipkis is Professor of Music and Composer-in-residence at Moravian College
8:00pm – Bach at 8
Three Bach Cantatas: Leipzig in Bethlehem
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
A preview of the performance we’ll give at the Leipzig Bachfest in the glorious Thomaskirche in Leipzig Germany – June, 2020. They are part of a yearly cycle of Chorale Cantatas Bach wrote for the Leipzig churches.
Cantata 8 Liebster Gott, wann werd ish sterben: a stunning and curious cantata whose time-stopping opening chorus begins with the flute chiming the funeral bells of the Thomaskirche over the pizzicato strings, all as part of a stately dance.
Cantata 99 Was got tut, das ist wohlgetan: Festival premiere! Used three times in his cantatas, it includes a gorgeous tenor aria with flute obbligato.
Cantata 130 Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir: Bach’s celebratory Cantata 130 with its virtuosic aria for bass with trumpets, timpani and basso continuo.
Saturdays, May 9 and 16, 2020
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
Another chance to sing Bach chorales for 20 minutes with Greg Funfgeld and members of The Choir. Gather by the flag pole close to Packer Church, and you will be 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. Some reconnect each year with an old friend; others feel the warm embrace of the music for the first time as it fills Packer Church. Join us as we share this monumental composition with our community that gathers from around the country and around the world.
7:00pm-9:30pm Zimmermann’s Coffee House - Chamber Music, Food & Drink
Peter Hall, Moravian College
Step back in time to Zimmermann’s Coffee House! While living in Leipzig, Bach presented his music at Zimmermann’s and we’ll do the same, offered café style in intimate Peter Hall at Moravian College with its famous 19th century stained glass windows. Hear Baroque chamber music performed by young musicians (chosen by audition) and purchase German fare, wine, and beer throughout the evening. An appearance by Greg Funfgeld and friends adds to the festivities.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Young American Singer’s Competition Finals
1pm Peter Hall, Moravian College
Free Admission, no tickets required. Sponsored by The American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem.