The Mission of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem inspires and enriches people through the transformative power of the music of J.S. Bach and composers who influenced or were influenced by Bach, by pursuing excellence in performance and education to build, strengthen, and sustain communities, and to foster a life-long passion for the choral arts.

Vision Statement
Our vision is to create a world in which choral music, anchored in the timeless works of J.S. Bach, inspires and enriches the lives of all individuals and communities. We are committed to leading with excellence and innovation. Our ultimate goal is to foster a society in which choral music plays a vital and life-changing role, bringing people together, strengthening relationships, and nourishing the human spirit.

Equity Statement
As leaders in the choral arts, we strive to create an inclusive environment where all of our members, performers, musical partners, audiences, volunteers, and board are welcomed and valued. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem believes that music is a universal language that unites persons, communities, and cultures. Our commitment is to an ongoing effort to ensure that inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and belonging remain core values of the organization.

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. In 2022, Dr. Christopher Jackson became the seventh Artistic Director and Conductor of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. The 90 dedicated volunteer singers of The Bach Choir, performing with the Bach Festival Orchestra and distinguished soloists, have received international acclaim. Programming includes 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 and 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 (2011–2020). 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. The Bel Canto Youth Chorus is The Bach Choir’s youth choir educational program under the direction of Director Kelly Rocchi. Through Bel Canto and other educational programs, The Bach Choir is 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.

Play Magnificat In D Major, BWV 243: I. Magnificat Anima Mea
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Choir Leadership

Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor

Dr. Jackson will lead The Bach Choir in its 125th Anniversary year, the 2022-2023 Season, following the retirement of Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director and Conductor Emeritus.

He begins his tenure having worked for 15 years as a conductor, educator, professional  singer, and scholar. Throughout his career he has led numerous collegiate, professional, and amateur ensembles across the United States and works frequently as a guest conductor for orchestras, choirs, and festivals. His ensembles have toured China, Canada, and the continental United States and have been selected to perform at multiple  Pennsylvania ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) conferences. During his tenure at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA, he co-founded the Lycoming Baroque Choir and Orchestra and designed academic courses that allowed students to travel to Germany and explore links between Baroque music, art and architecture. He has taught courses and masterclasses in conducting, music theory, music history, vocal methods and pedagogy, and Baroque performance practice and has been a guest artist and lecturer at the San Juan Conservatory, the Coro de Niños de San Juan, and the Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival. He was recently nominated as a finalist for the American Prize in Virtual Performance for his work with the Muhlenberg choral ensembles during the pandemic.

Dr. Jackson remains an active professional choral singer and soloist, with focuses in Baroque, Renaissance, and Modern eras. As a core member of the Boston-based chamber choir, Skylark, he has appeared on three GRAMMY nominated albums (Best Choral Performance), and also serves as the ensemble's Director of Education. In that position, he helped design free materials for music educators across the country to use for virtual music-making. He has performed with GRAMMY Award-Winning ensemble, Roomful of Teeth, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Artefact Ensemble, Les Canards Chantants, and Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity Lutheran, in New York City.

Dr. Jackson received his Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma State University, studying conducting under Dr. Dirk Garner (Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival). He received his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College, and was the graduate assistant conductor of the Westminster Symphonic Choir under Dr. Joe Miller and Dr. Amanda Quist, as well as studying with Dr. Andrew Megill (Carmel Bach, Illinois Bach Academy). He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of North Texas, studying with Dr. Gerry McCoy and Dr. Richard Sparks. His areas of research include the programming and performance of Baroque and Renaissance Music for choirs of all ages and levels of experience, as well as the choral music of Benjamin Britten.

Leela Breithaupt, Executive Director

LEELA BREITHAUPT is Executive Director of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. A dynamic nonprofit arts administrator, Leela combines her experience as internationally successful performer with skills in executive leadership. As President and CEO of IndyBaroque Music until 2021, Ms. Breithaupt built strong collaborative relationships with several choirs to present the music of J.S. Bach, including The Bach Institute at Valparaiso University, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Beecher Singers of Second Presbyterian Church, and Spire Ensemble that included performances of Bach’s Mass in B MinorSt. John Passion, St. Matthew Passion, and Weinachtsoratorium. She managed two Indianapolis International Baroque Competitions, secured funding and a Naxos sponsor partnership, and managed a global team of industry leaders on 3 continents as Executive Producer for 6 full-length Naxos CD recordings, 4 for Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra and 2 with Les Ordinaires Baroque Ensemble, which she founded in 2014.

As a flute soloist and guest artist on modern and traverso (baroque flute), she has performed nationally and internationally at Carnegie Hall, in Europe, including St. László Festival (Hungary), La Côte Flûte Festival (Switzerland), and Nymphenburg Palace (Munich), and in Hong Kong and South Korea. She was the main substitute with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and flutist with the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra.
Ms. Breithaupt has published in Flute Talk Magazine in addition to teaching masterclasses in the US and Germany. Deeply immersed in the music of Bach and the German culture, she is multi-lingual and a near-native German speaker who studied both in the US and in Germany and has lived and worked in Germany regularly for the past 25 years. She is well connected with musicians and arts administrators in Europe.
Ms. Breithaupt earned her Bachelor of Music and her Master of Music degrees with a Major in Flute Performance from Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and her Artist Diploma (Konzertexamen) with Summa cum laude (mit Auszeichnung) from the Berlin University of The Arts (UDK) where she studied under Karlheinz Zoeller. She holds an MBA (2020) from the 2021’s top-rated MBA program in the U.S., The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, where she also taught Leadership and Organizational Behavior Management.

 

Harold G. Black, President of the Board

Hal Black has been President of The Bach Choir since 2014 and a member of the Board of Managers since 2003. During his tenure, on the Board he has served as chair of the Guarantor Committee. Marketing Committee, the re-Imagining the Bach Festival Task Force, and co-chair of the 2013 Gala, as well as assistant treasurer on the Finance Committee. Hal has one of the highest records of board members for attending The Choir’s concerts and social events and bringing friends to experience The Choir for the first time. He also likes to listen in on The Choir’s Monday night rehearsals and he and his wife Allison have been generous supporters of The Choir in countless ways.

Mr. Black was an executive at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., where he held various positions in commercial development, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisition during his 30-year career. Prior to that he worked in research and development and engineering for DuPont de Nemours and Co. and the Uniroyal Chemical Company. He retired in 2011. He holds degrees in Chemical Engineering, Spanish, and Business from Bucknell University and the University of Delaware. In retirement, Mr. Black has been active in the field of mergers and alliances among non-profit organizations, has lent his skills managing programs for the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley and serving on the Board of Habitat for Humanity, and has helped Trout Unlimited form a fly-fishing club at Lehigh University. He has also begun the study of piano and music composition and has had original compositions performed in recital at the Community Music School. He and his wife Allison, who is an avid equestrian, enjoy travel and attending live performances of music in all genres.

Choir Staff

Christopher Jackson

Artistic Director & Conductor

Leela Breithaupt

Executive Director

Thomas Goeman

Assistant Conductor & Accompanist

Charlotte Mattax Moersch

Orchestra Personnel Manager

Rosa Lamoreaux

Vocal Coach

Cheryl Dungan

Development Director

Ebony Stevens

Marketing Manager

Claudia Carroll

Finance and Business Manager

Lindsay Liiro

Administrative Assistant

Jean Donegan Vrabel

Choir Manager

Cory Dieterly

Archivist

Leah Kun

Marketing and Development Assistant

Sophia Verbiscar

Production Manager

Kelly Rocchi

Bel Canto Director

Alaina Swartz

Director of the Youth Chorale

Leah Kun

Bel Canto Choir Manager

Andrea Berntsen

Collaborative Pianist

Tina Lebrecht

Collaborative Pianist

Board of Managers - Officers

Harold G. Black — President

Retired Director of Mergers & Acquisitions
Air Products, Bethlehem, PA

Cheryl Matherly - Vice President

Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs
Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA

James Horvath — Treasurer

Retired Investment Management Professional
Bethlehem, PA

Annette Thiel — Secretary

Muhlenberg Elementary School,
Allentown PA

Board of Managers - Members

Patty Alercia

Retired School Principal
Bangor, PA

Alan Battisti

Partner,  King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul LLC
Bethlehem, PA

David G. Beckwith, Ph.D. - President Emeritus

Retired President & CEO
Health Network Labs, Bethlehem, PA

Janice S. Bonge - President Emeritus

Community Leader
Bethlehem, PA

Charles P. Dangelmajer

Owner of Cardstock Warehouse Paper Co., Inc.
Bethlehem, PA

Phyllis H. Gibson

Retired/Global Corporate Communications Strategist

Chad D. Gruver

Deputy Chief | Fire Service, City of Easton

James Harbaugh

Retired Vice President
City Center Investment Corp., Allentown PA

John A. Jordan, Jr. - President Emeritus

Retired Sr. VP – Administration
Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem, PA

Alfred J. Krug

Retired President
Rexroth Corporation, Bethlehem, PA

Larry Lipkis, Ph.D.

Professor of Music and Composer in Residence,
Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA

Bruce A. Maza

Retired Development Executive
Easton, PA

Joan Moran

Community Leader
The Century Fund

Barbara Opper

Retired Senior Manager at the World Bank;
Sovereign Debt Risk Management Consultant
Washington, DC

Erika Riddle Petrozelli

Chief Executive Officer, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
Allentown, PA

David Ruhf

Music Director
Trinity Lutheran Church, Bethlehem, PA

Charles Thiel

Chief Operations Officer, Iota Communications
Allentown, PA

Anthony Thompson

Attorney at Law, Private Practice
Bethlehem, PA

Donald Wertman

Retired Chief Operating Officer
Seedway, Hall, NY

Choir Members

Members of the all-volunteer choir come from all walks of life and collectively donate over 10,000 hours annually for rehearsals and performances. To learn more about how to become a choir member, please see Auditions below.

Soprano I

Kayla Alderfer
Shannon Aloise

Elizabeth Campbell
Madelyn Dundon
Rebecca Erhardt
Abriana Ferrari, Choral Scholar
Bridget George
Roberta George
Emily A. Gross
Nancy Williamson Hooke
Deborah Ihling 
Taylor Kendall, Choral Scholar
Erynn R. Mann*
Carrie Krug Nedick
Lucy Perusse
Martha Cox Popichak
Amy Ruhf
Roberta Wagner

Soprano II

Patty Alercia
Beverly Bailey
Wendy E. Borst
Hailey Falzone, Choral Scholar
Stacy Gabel
Jesse Gehman*
Katherine Kaiser
Roberta Kasmirski
Tina M. Lebrecht
Michel Lloyd
Lynn German Long
Meg McKenna
Marie Miller
Kelly Seims
Grace Adele Spruiell
Victoria Spruiell
Anna Soldano

Alto I

Lynn Whitehouse Birney
Laura Carlson
Jean Donegan-Vrabel
Linda Lipkis
Christina Lamonica
Johanna Pearson
Kate Racculia
Kelly Schmidt
Jean Anne Shafferman
Christina Shoemaker
Genevieve Terpstra*
Annette Thiel

Alto II

Lynne Beck
Nicole Brennan

Dorothy Z. Cockrell
Jennifer Hay
Leah Kun
Jennifer Marriaga
Karen Miller
Mary Zsido Paini * 
Beverly Rumble
Patti Sakdiponephong
Debbie Turton

Tenor I

Kurt C. Anchorstar *
Kevin Cone
Luke DiGiacinto
Brendan D. James
Lane Conklin McCord
Kelly R. Miller
Guy Rauscher
Andrew Roberts

Tenor II

Dominic Behe
Jesus Castillo
Alan Ganun
Dustin Hartman
Jamie Henry
Dave Mentzer
Michael Miller
Anthony R. Villani*
Christopher T. Wagner

Bass I

Tony W. Austin
Jason Dietrich
Joseph Fink 
John Hare
Dodd Lamberton
John Nedick
Craig Peters

David Ruhf
Brian C. Snyder
John L. Sullivan
David R. Umla
Peter Young

Bass II

Todd Fennell
Bryan K. Gerhab*
Bryan Hay
James W. Rowland
John Sauter
Phil Turton
Miles Weber

Members of the Bach Festival Orchestra

Violins

Elizabeth Field, Concertmaster
Claire Bright
Stephani Bell
Rebecca Brown
Inna Eyzerovich
Nina Falk
Linda Kistler
Fiona Murray
Mary Ogletree

Violas

Paul Miller, Principal
Akhmed Mamedov
Lucy Windt

Celli

Loretta O’Sullivan
Noelle Grande
Debbie Davis

Bass

Stephen Groat, Principal
Daniel McDougall

Flute

Robin Kani
Linda Ganus

Oboe

Lynne Cohen
Nobuo Kitigawa
Mary Watt

Bassoon

Charles Holdeman

Trumpet

Robert Skoniczin
Lawrence Wright
Steven Heitzer

Horn

Anthony Cecere

Timpani/Percussion

Christopher Hanning

Organ/Harpsichord

Charlotte Mattax Moersch
Thomas Goeman

Choir History and Archives

The roots of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the oldest Bach Choir in America, go back to Colonial times and to the Moravians who settled Bethlehem in 1712. The Choir was founded in 1898 by its first conductor John Frederick Wolle, an organist at Central Moravian Church, and gave the first complete performances in America of the Mass in B Minor (1900) and Christmas Oratorio (1901). Since its founding in 1898, The Choir has been attracting thousands of visitors to the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival, now held on the campus of Lehigh University and in and around the historic Bethlehem neighborhood. Greg Funfgeld, the sixth conductor of The Choir, has been artistic director and conductor since 1983 and is now in his 39th and final season with The Choir. He has expanded the programs of The Bach Choir beyond the annual Bach Festivals to become a year-round season of 31 concerts and educational programs with an audience of more than 20,000.

Historical Archives

The Archives of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem preserves documents related to the activities
of The Choir, making them available for study. To schedule an appointment to view the Archives, contact Cory Dieterly,  Archivist.

If you have photos or clippings to share with us, please contact Lindsay and she will be happy to coordinate that! We would love to add images – no matter how new or old – that will help illustrate the spirit of our Festival to our web visitors. Thank you!

Bach Festival | May 16, 1942  Guarantor John Daniel is pictured in the center.

John enjoying the afternoon sunshine with his family at the 1944 Bach Festival.

Telegram, dated April 5, 1927
To: Fred Wolle
From: Edith Roosevelt
“Happy returns of the day which brought happiness to the listening world.”

 

Documents Available by Appointment:

  • Board and Committee Minutes
  • Discography
  • Festival Offerings: Compiled and Annotated
  • Individual Festival and concert programs
  • Lists and Dates of Works Performed
  • Vocal scores of J. Fred Wolle and Ifor Jones
  • Orchestral scores of Wolle and Jones
  • Orchestral parts of Wolle and Jones
  • Manuscript writings of Wolle and Jones
  • Short Histories of The Choir
  • Wolle Correspondence
  • Scrap books by year, 1900-present
  • Images and archival photos

Auditions

Young American Singer’s Competition – rescheduled:

Sponsored by The American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem

Up to ten finalists will appear before a panel of distinguished judges and a live audience in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; with a date in October, 2020 to be announced.

The First Prize winner chosen by the judges on that day will receive a career development grant of $3,000 and a solo performing opportunity with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem in a future season.

In addition to the first prize, up to three additional cash awards of $500 may be awarded to other finalists, at the judges’ discretion.

Judges at the Finals will include:

  • Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem
  • Other distinguished Bach performers and specialists, to be announced

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"From anguish to elation, and just about everything in between, pretty much describes the vast emotional landscape covered in Friday evening’s concert at Packer Memorial Church presented by the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Splendid musicianship, rousing choruses, and the sublime voices of the soloists turned grief into joy and sorrow into triumph."

—The Morning Call, May 2018

"The oft-quoted phrase 'a drumroll, please' aptly applies to the opening of Rutter’s exultant Gloria, which provided a dramatic finale to the program. What a thrill to hear those punchy, syncopated brass lines accompanying some really polished and vibrant singing. The “Domine Deus” section sported some lovely soprano voices in addition to many demanding, multi-part choruses –— some with up to eight parts. There was a miraculous blend of tone and balance throughout."

—The Morning Call, March 2018

"The performance was one of integrity, movement, passion and weight. The effortless virtuosity and stylistic homogeneity of the combined forces in the chapel's stone sanctity, allowed Bach's music to sing out with infectious, exhilarating enthusiasm."

—The Huffington Post, 2017

"The audience was thrilled by this outstanding performance of a Bach Cantata by seasoned experts immersed in the composer and informed by Greg Funfgeld's wisdom and enthusiasm...The Bachs [J.S.B and C.P.E] could not have been better served, not to mention two English Renaissances, as well as our own time. It went beyond mere intelligent programming and committed performance, enriched by a deep sense of the mutual nourishment of music and faith."

—New York Arts, 2015

"Nestled in the Pennsylvania countryside, on and around the bucolic campus of Lehigh University, the Bethlehem Bach Festival, under the artistic direction of conductor Greg Funfgeld, is in its 108th season and going strong. If it has flaws, they are like those that distinguish a fine emerald from the perfect clarity of a fake...their choral sonority is so rich you can feel it in your bones."

—The Wall Street Journal, May 2015

"Two days later I am Newark bound again, with a head full of the history of a town I previously had no awareness of, and with a heart full of the music of Bach, presented in a context that felt less like a festival than 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 of Bethlehem, founded in the 19th century, has gained international recognition through its annual Bach Festival, tours and recordings. The more than 100 vocalists displayed clean tone, excellent pitch and blend, and kept good tempo even in the most stressful numbers…outstanding, energetic and crisp. The orchestra was a collection of top freelancers from around the Eastern Seaboard including several from Washington… baritone Dashon Burton, was the standout. He has a clarion instrument that projects well throughout his range…a splendid dramatic performance. Soprano Rosa Lamoreaux was also excellent, expertly modulating her silvery tone for the various roles she took…This was the choir’s big night, though, and it gave great pleasure…”

—The Washington Post, March 2013

“A handsome account of Bach’s St. John Passion on this new release confirms that the Bach Choir of Bethlehem doesn’t rest on anything resembling laurels. Greg Funfgeld has trained his singers to articulate words crisply, dance lightly when the music must move and blend elegantly. Funfgeld brings a sure sense of phrasing, texture and pacing to the narrative, and the Bach Festival Orchestra—mostly modern instruments, with viola da gamba, violas d’amore and portative organ supplying period flavors—are cohesive and nimble. Charles Daniels stands out as a poetic and powerful Evangelist, William Sharp as a warmly inflected Jesus and Julia Doyle as a shining champion of the soprano arias.”

—Gramophone, November 2012

“The Bach Choir of Bethlehem sang a Brahms motet (“Lass Dich Nur Nichts”) with all the polish and fervor it brought to cantatas by its namesake.”

—New York Times, September 2011

“..inspired program of hope, optimism and comfort …disarmingly powerful…overflows with jubilation”

—The Morning Call, October 2011

“America’s venerable Bach Choir of Bethlehem makes its Analekta debut on a disc brimming-over with festive D major trumpets-and-drums brilliance…Julia Doyle and Daniel Taylor heading up a distinguished solo line-up.”

—BBC Music Magazine, May 2010

“Conductor Greg Funfgeld coaxed a lovely rich chamber orchestra sound from the Bach Festival Orchestra strings...The hauntingly beautiful voices of Taylor and Zsigovics—she in her festival debut—melted together like two precious metals, hers of bell-like clarity, his a more complex alchemy, with a sheen like liquid mercury.”

—The Morning Call, May 2010

“As I listen to The Bach Choir of Bethlehem with Greg Funfgeld conducting…I find it hard to believe this is an all-volunteer choir but it’s true…a well polished vocal ensemble, and a true level of musicianship and understanding of the choral music of Bach.”

—Minnesota Public Radio Review, December 2009

“…an American musical treasure… they sing with a fervor and a level of musicianship that carries one away—from bass to soprano, the supple strength and solidly integrated tone of this amateur choir reflects the most admirable qualities of the European-American tradition of choral song.”

—Wall Street Journal May, 2007

“By all accounts the chorus remains as vital an institution as ever…The B-Minor Mass performance was rousing, committed and touching…Bach’s ‘St. Matthew Passion’ too was ardently and lovingly performed…”

—New York Times, May 2007

“This is Bach at its finest. The conductor, orchestra, soloists, and chorus are eminently capable of the nuances of the rich harmonic texts …spirited and vivacious…It is not likely to get any better than this on this side of the Atlantic.”

—The American Organist, January, 2004

“America’s venerable Bach Choir of Bethlehem sang Bach and Mendelssohn with good-natured and ruddy-cheeked elation. And their centerpiece was a BBC/Bach Choir co-commission, the world premiere of Libby Larsen’s I It Am, a jubilant cantata based on the writings of Julian of Norwich…this highly coloured and disarmingly unsophisticated work came from, and went straight to, the heart.”

—The Times, London, July 2003

“The Bach Choir of Bethlehem…had their audience enthralled…The choir knows and loves this work – and it shows…transatlantic magic.”

—The Scotsman, Edinburgh, July 2003

“Nearly one hundred strong, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem tempers its power and energy with the intimacy of a much smaller group. It also blends seamlessly with the excellent modern-instrument Festival orchestra which Greg Funfgeld conducts with an obvious knowledge of, and sensitivity to, modern performance practice.”

—Early Music News, California, October/November 2002

“…the Choir and Festival Orchestra, under their director, Greg Funfgeld, perform these three cantatas beautifully and convincingly. The work of the soloists is excellent, too…Excitement, dedication, power—all things that we hear more and more seldom in Bach cantatas—lend distinction to this beautiful and well-produced recording.”

—American Record Guide, November/December 2002

“Sheer jubilance…exceptional elegance and grace…radiant performance…Having heard the Bethlehem Bach Choir pour its heart into the master’s vocal music, one will never listen to it in quite the same way again.”

—Musical America, May 2001

“The Bethlehem Bach Festival is one of the most venerable musical institutions in the USA, with an unmatched tradition of introducing Bach’s music to our shores. Greg Funfgeld…has revitalized this Pennsylvania institution, and Dorian is doing well to document its vibrancy in a recording series… genuine honesty and intelligence informs this performance…Funfgeld has forged a fine body of singers and players…tightly disciplined ensemble …rousing spirit and sacred joy aplenty. This recording will not disappoint.”

—American Record Guide, November/December 2000

“…intoxicating but precise choral sound that reminds you why choruses grew this large in the first place. The elemental power is startling…the Bethlehem approach under Greg Funfgeld isn’t anachronistic, but meets the historically enlightened approach halfway…We know from Bach’s often irritable correspondence that he campaigned for more singers. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem gives him all he could have wanted. Maybe this is “in-his-dreams” Bach.”

—Philadelphia Inquirer, December 2000

“…a performance that confirmed my belief that this is one of the finest large amateur choruses in the United States.”

—The Washington Post, May 1999

"The knowledge that our organization’s financial affairs are being managed in a conservative and prudent manner is a comfort to anyone who makes a gift to The Bach Choir of Bethlehem."

—Anthony and Vickie Thompson, Bach Choir Guarantors

"The Bach Choir is truly a wonderful organization committed to preserving the rich history of baroque music for multiple generations to experience and enjoy. B. Braun is proud to sponsor this year’s Gala, which features the German boys choir. The Bach Choir is not only a regional asset in our community but a national treasure as well."

—Carroll Neubauer, B. Braun

“They haven’t missed a Bach Festival for the past 25 years. When asked to comment on their favorite aspects of the Festival, Ginny is quick to reflect on the uplifting spiritual renewal she experiences at each concert, while Randall speaks with great reverence about the Mass in B Minor, which he says has the same powerful effect and 'feels fresh' each time he experiences it."

—Ginny and Randall Aires, Bach Choir Guarantors

“The Bach Choir is one of the Lehigh Valley’s cultural gems. The season includes free concerts, a Bach Festival, and extraordinary concerts throughout the year. There’s something for everyone.”

—Bill Kreitz, HMK Insurance President

“We value our partnership with our historic neighbor’s from the Bach Choir and appreciate their continuing contributions to the cultural heritage of Bethlehem.”

—Bruce Haines, Hotel Bethlehem

“The Bach Choir was a worthwhile growing experience. The challenging repertoire is just what any dedicated chorister needs to expand their horizons. Plus, it helps when The Choir members and Staff are wonderful people and a blast to hang out with.”

—James Kinyon, Southern Lehigh High School

“We firmly believe that by supporting the Bach Choir of Bethlehem we are providing opportunities for others to experience the wonder and joy of our locally based national treasure."

—Charlie Walter, Janney

“Being a Bach Choir Choral Scholar has taken me more places than I thought I would go. Not only the exposure to the music of J.S. Bach, but the opportunity to learn and share it with others has been one of, if not the greatest experience of my life here in Bethlehem.”

—Madelyn Dundon, Bethlehem Catholic H.S.

"Margot lives by her faith and believes that discovering The Bach Choir was divine intervention. 'This opened a Pandora’s box of fond memories of a life which I had left behind years ago. In discovering The Bach Choir, I felt I was at home.'”

—Margot Teleki, Bach Choir Guarantor

"It is so wonderful to be in the presence of so many music lovers at Festival time.  And then to hear the glory of the Mass.  Words cannot describe the joy that I feel when I hear it."

Nancy B., longtime Bethlehem Bach Festival attendee

“The Bach Choir was a worthwhile growing experience. The challenging repertoire is just what any dedicated chorister needs to expand their horizons. Plus, it helps when The Choir members and Staff are wonderful people and a blast to hang out with.”

—James Kinyon, Southern Lehigh High School