Sunday October 24, at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Pre-concert Lecture by Greg Funfgeld at 3:00pm
Sponsor: Hydac USA

Don’t miss this eagerly anticipated concert postponed from last March. Stunningly beautiful works from the 16th to 20th centuries feature The Bach Choir, a large brass ensemble, organ, and percussion.

Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612) In Ecclesiis
Samuel Scheidt (1587-1684) Nu komm der Heyden Heyland
Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) Psalm 100 (The Echo)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Cantata 118, O Jesu Christ, mein Lebens Licht
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971) Poeme Héroïque
Samuel Barber (1910-1981) Mutations from Bach
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Apparebit Repentina Dies

The concert ends with J.S. Bach and John Rutter settings of the famous chorale Lobe den Herrn (Praise to the Lord, the Almighty) and an invitation for the audience to sing along.

Buy your tickets today!

Music and Dancing with Tiempo Libre
Saturday November 13, 2010 at 8pm
Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center
Corporate Sponsors: Crayola, Health Network Laboratories, KNBT, and PPL

Three-time Grammy nominated Tiempo Libre, based in Miami, are the true modern heirs to the rich tradition of the music of their native Cuba. Uniting the two worlds of Tiempo Libre’s Cuban childhoods, Bach in Havana connects the seductive rhythms and sensibilities of Afro-Cuban music with the timeless compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach. Grab your dancing shoes!

General Admission: $40 & $25, Students $18

Patrons: $100 (tax deductible portion $40) Reserved seating and exciting post-concert dessert reception including meet-and-greet with the band!

Benefactors: $250 per person (tax deductible portion $125) Reserved seating at the concert; cocktails and hors d’oevres at 5pm in the Butz Lobby; authentic Latin-themed dinner and live auction of musical treasures at 6pm; post-concert dessert reception with the band. PLUS an invitation to a private Gallery Preview Party for “Cuban Selections” from the Lehigh University Arts Galleries collection on October 8!

Buy your tickets today! To become a Patron or Benefactor please call 610.866.4382, ext. 13 or 15.

The Bach in Havana Gala Concert and Fundraiser is presented by The Bach Choir of Bethlehem in conjunction with numerous community and corporate partners. Honorary chairs of the event are Linny and Beall Fowler. Co-chairs of the event are Mary Ellyn Voden, a vice president of The Bach Choir's board of managers and director of public affairs for Crayola, and Ricardo Viera, director of Lehigh University Art Galleries. Other partners include the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, represented on the Gala Committee by executive director Alvaro Diaz, and HALA (Hispanic American League of Artists) represented on the Gala Committee by executive director Sandy Van Ardenne. Corporate sponsors to date include Crayola, Health Network Laboratories, KNBT, and PPL.

Saturday, December 11, 2010, at 8pm
Pre-concert organ recital by Thomas Goeman, at 7:30pm
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown

Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 4pm
Pre-concert organ recital by Thomas Goeman, at 3:30pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Sponsor: Rider-Pool Foundation

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Advent Cantatas BWV 61 & 62 - Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 Parts 1 and 6

Soloists
Leslie Johnson, soprano
Barbara Hollinshead, mezzo-soprano
Frederick Urrey, tenor
Joshua Copeland, bass-baritone

Enjoy the infinite variety of Bach’s radiant expression of faith. Advent Cantatas 61 and 62 are both settings of the text “Saviour of the Nations Come!”, yet the first opens in a regal French overture style and the second reminds us of a vigorous Vivaldi concerto. The Christmas Oratorio takes us on a dramatic musical journey from the birth of Christ to the arrival of the wise men bearing gifts. The program ends with an invitation to all to sing traditional carols with The Choir.

Our love of Bach out loud with music, poetry and pictures Sunday February 6, 2011 at 3 – 4 pm
Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Sponsors: Holt Family Foundation, Just Born Inc.

On Super Bowl Sunday, artists from Lehigh Valley schools join The Bach Choir and Bach Festival Orchestra in celebrating Super Bach! Participants include talented young soloists, painters from the “Bach Quilt” project of Governor Wolf Elementary School, and more!

“It was fantastic! … My jaw was on the floor when I heard the young composer’s pieces. And I thought the way Greg Funfgeld spoke and connected to the audience was so charming. I kept thinking, ‘This is what life is about.'”
—Family Concert 2010

Saturday March 19, 2011, at 8pm
Market Square Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg PA

Sunday March 20, 2011, at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Sponsor: Hydac USA

J.S.Bach – Motet – Singet dem Herrn BWV 225
Benjamin Britten – Rejoice in the Lamb
Stephen Paulus – A Dream of Time (commissioned in honor of Greg Funfgeld’s 25th anniversary)
Leonard Bernstein – Chichester Psalms

Soloists
Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
William Sharp, baritone

From the Psalms of David to 18th century poetry by Christopher Smart written in an English lunatic asylum, and 20th century poetry by Carl Sandburg written in depression-era Chicago, the texts of our “Songs of Hope” are moving affirmations of hope in the face of adversity. In the hands of composers Bach, Britten, Bernstein, and Paulus, these amazing words resonate with the longing for peace and healing in our own time.

A Gift of Music – A Noontime Blessing - The Heartbeat of our Community
Central Moravian Church, Historic Downtown Bethlehem
Second Tuesdays, 12:10-1:00pm
Sponsor: Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC,
Hampson Mowrer Kreitz Insurance

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 talk. A free-will offering will be received.

2010
September 14
French Suite No.5 in G Major, BWV 816
Greg Funfgeld, harpsichord
Cantata 51 – Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!
Agnes Zsigovics, soprano

October 12
Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1030 – Robin Kani, flute
Cantata 150 – Nacht dir, Herr, verlanget mich (Bethlehem premiere)

November 9
Six Schübler Chorale Preludes, BWV 645-650
Greg Funfgeld and Thomas Goeman, organists
Cantata 140 – Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

2011
January 11
Canonic Variations on the Christmas Carol “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”, BWV 769
Thomas Goeman, organist
From the Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 – Part Two
Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend (And there were shepherds in the same region…)

February 8              
Cantata 202 - Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten (Wedding Cantata)
Leslie Johnson, Soprano

March 8
Cantata 23 – Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe

April 12
Cantata 67 – Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ
Mary Watt, oboe

May 6-7 & 13-14, 2011
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem & Bach Festival Orchestra
Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director and Conductor

SOLOISTS
Julia Doyle, soprano
Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
TBA, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Christòpheren Nomura, bass-baritone           

Fridays, May 6 & 13
2pm: Dr. Christoph Wolff
Distinguished Scholar Lecture
The Passion according to Saint John
Black Box Theatre, Zoellner Arts Center
Free Admission – no tickets required

4:30pm: Cantatas, Arias & Duets
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
The Friday afternoon concert features sopranos Julia Doyle and Rosa Lamoreaux, counter-tenor Daniel Taylor, and baritone William Sharp in the Festival premiere of Cantata 57 and a selection of arias and duets.

6pm: Dr. Larry Lipkis
Buffet Dinner with informal talk
Asa Packer Room, Lehigh University Center
On campus transportation provided for those who request it.
Limited Seating – Tickets $35

8:00pm: The Saint John Passion BWV 245 (Note change in time!)
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University

Saturdays, May 7 & 14
10:30am: The Great Eighteen Divided by Two
Greg Funfgeld and Tom Goeman, organ
Ifor Jones Memorial Chamber Music Concerts 
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Postponed from May 2010, the collection of chorale preludes formerly called The Great Eighteen will be played by Greg and Tom, along with Franz Liszt’s brilliant Prelude and Fugue on B.A.C.H. The Great Eighteen shows Bach’s genius and remarkable innovation. Some of the most beautiful and beloved chorales such as “Now thank we all our God” and “Soul adorn thyself with gladness” are included. The organ console at The First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem will be placed in the center of the Chancel, in full view of the audience and Greg will offer commentary on these pieces and their inspiration. 

10:30am: Zimmermann’s Coffee House Part 2
Concertos and Sonatas on Period Instruments
Chamber Music in Peter Hall, Moravian College
Following the great popularity of last year’s concert, we offer a second installment of our re-creation of Bach’s concerts at Gottfried Zimmerman’s coffee house in Leipzig. Elizabeth Field, violin; Loretta O’Sullivan, cello; Charlotte Mattax, harpsichord, and other members of the Bach Festival Orchestra perform concertos and sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries on period instruments. This intimate chamber music concert takes place in the historic and charming Peter Hall at Moravian College.

12:30 pm: Festival Luncheons
Asa Packer Room, Lehigh University Center
On campus transportation provided for those who request it.
Limited seating- Tickets $20
Members of the Heritage Society and the Guarantors of the Sanctus, Gloria, J.S. Bach and J. Fred Wolle Circles are our guests. Lunch includes a short program on what’s new at The Bach Choir.

2:30 pm (Part 1) and 4:30pm (Part 2): The Mass in B Minor
Packer Memorial Church
The Mass in B Minor has been the heart of the Festival since 1900. Bring a friend, family member, or young student who has never before experienced the emotional and spiritual power and beauty of Bach’s monumental masterpiece.