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SUMMARY:June Bach at Noon
DESCRIPTION:Our Allentown Bach at Noon series kicks off this summer with our first concert at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Tuesday\, June 10th. Gather with us for this free\, inspiring concert series\, a musical gift to our community. Hear members of the Bach Choir and Bach Festival Orchestra along with exciting guest artists. Enjoy insightful and enlightening remarks by Christopher Jackson\, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bach Choir. The June Bach at Noon is named in honor of Dorothy Hess Baker and her mother\, Elizabeth Leith Hess\, both former members of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. The concert and the participation of featured soprano and alto soloists are made possible in part by a generous legacy gift from the Dexter F. And Dorothy H. Baker Foundation.\n \nCLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DIGITAL PROGRAM \n\nAbout the Music\nBefore Handel and Bach\, there was Giacomo Carissimi. Join us for a powerful performance of Carissimi’s Jephte\, considered an early Baroque masterpiece. One of the composer’s best-known and earliest sacred oratorios\, it was composed circa 1648 in Latin and predates Handel’s large-scale oratorios by nearly a century\, helping lay the groundwork for future oratorio compositions. A heartbreaking tale of triumph\, sacrifice\, and sorrow\, this dramatic work is full of intimate solos and vivid storytelling. This Baroque gem climaxes in the unforgettable chorus “Plorate\, filii Israel”—a deeply moving final lament where the full breadth of talent from soloists to the full Bach Choir will be on display.Beginning the program is Bach’s “Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke\,” BWV 84 (“I am content with my fortune”)\, a lovely and lesser-known solo soprano cantata composed and performed in 1727. Written for Septuagesima Sunday\, the third Sunday before Lent\, the lyrics reflect the humble and introspective mood surrounding the time. Contrasting with Bach’s more grandiose choral cantatas\, only one vocal soprano soloist is featured throughout giving the piece an intimate character supported by the graceful orchestration of strings and oboes. \nAbout the Performers\nKatelyn Jackson (née Aungst) soprano\, grew up in Berks County\, Pennsylvania\, and has spent a good portion of her singing career in Washington\, D.C. Despite being surrounded by music\, her first loves were reading and writing\, and she dreamt of becoming a novelist and poet. Her early exposure to music ranging from the art music canon to John Philip Sousa Americana\, a deep love for the written word\, and a knack for choral singing led to a professional career as a soloist and chamber musician propelled by a desire to connect and communicate with other musicians and audience members alike. Hailed by the Washington Post for her “supple\, haunting soprano\,” Jackson performs as a featured soloist and chorister with intelligence and “particular purity of tone” (San Francisco Classical Voice). She has soloed with the American Bach Soloists\, Washington Bach Consort\, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra\, City Choir of Washington\, Cathedral Choral Society\, the Washington Master Chorale\, and the Handel Choir of Baltimore. Her choral and chamber experiences include recording Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison with the Experiential Orchestra & Chorus (2021 GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album) and performances with Ensemble Altera\, The Thirteen\, and Clarion Music Society. \nKristin Sands\, soprano\, is a co-founding member of the internationally acclaimed Antioch Chamber Ensemble\, and has made a significant impact in classical music with performances in prestigious venues worldwide. Her extensive experience as a soloist and choral soprano includes collaborations with renowned groups like the Westminster Choir\, The Choir of Trinity Church\, Wall Street\, The New York Philharmonic Chorus\, and The Bach Choir of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Sands’ repertoire spans from early Renaissance to modern premieres\, with a special affinity for Baroque music\, Her performances\, broadcast live on radio and television\, and her recordings on labels such as Bridge Records and Naxos\, continue to engage audiences globally. A magna cum laude graduate in Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College\, Sands is dedicated to nurturing emerging talent as a member of Drew University’s Voice Faculty and maintains a private studio in her family’s home. She is also proud to serve on the Board of Trustees for Music in the Somerset Hills\, a New Jersey-based organization committed to delivering high-quality musical experiences and education to the community. \nLeah Kun\, contralto\, is a graduate of Westminster Choir College’s class of 2020\, B.A. in Music Education. She specializes in early music and Baroque era singing\, and she has been praised for her deep\, rich coloratura. Kun has performed in operas across Europe; her most notable roles include Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina and Arnalta in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. She has received scholarships for European young artist opera programs such as the Saluzzo Opera Academy and the Handel Opera Academy. Through these programs\, she studied under singers such as Sonia Prina and Stefania Dovhan. As a choir singer\, Kun has sung with the Westminster Symphonic Choir\, conducted by Dr. Joe Miller\, and the GRAMMY-nominated Westminster Williamson Voices\, conducted by Dr. James Jordan. She was recorded in albums Ola Gjello: The Sunrise Mass\, Aurora\, and A Scattered Light into Winter. She is currently a member of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and sings under the direction of Dr. Christopher Jackson. With the Bach Choir\, she has performed solos in Bach’s Cantata 40 and most recently in Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands on the Bach Choir’s 2024 European tour. Kun currently provides private voice instruction to young singers in classical\, musical theater\, and jazz singing. \nStephen Sands\, tenor\, a GRAMMY-nominated “crystalline tenor” (Backstage) is a highly sought-after tenor soloist\, conductor\, and music educator. Sands conducts Downtown Voices at Trinity Wall Street\, which has been hailed for its “incisive agile strength” (New York Times). He is the Executive Director of the Antioch Chamber Ensemble\, overseeing international tours and recordings\, and Managing Director of Ensemble Veritas\, Harvard University’s professional chorus. Sands is the Music Director of Re:Soundings\, a choral music project in New York City that utilizes the vast array of acoustical treasures to bring new ways of hearing vocal music to life. He is the Founder of Music in the Somerset Hills\, where he directs The Somerset Hills Chorus and curates a full concert series and educational programs in Central New Jersey.  \n\n\n \n\nClick the above logo to livestream this month’s Bach at Noon \nPlease help us meet June’s Bethlehem Bach at Noon Donation Challenge!\nThis month marks the return of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church for our annual Allentown Bach at Noon Concert Series. In recognition of our dedicated and talented Bach Choir singers\, board member Anthony Thompson\, and his wife\, Vicky\, have offered to match the first $1\,500 of your Bach at Noon donations. \nThe talented Bach Choirs singers volunteer their vocal talents and more than 10\,000 hours each season in rehearsal and performance time\, to share their love of Bach’s music with our community. They represent the heart of our organization. We hope you will donate generously this month honor the choir and support this beloved concert series. \nSupport the June Bach at Noon Donation Challenge with a freewill donation at the concert using the provided envelopes\, donate online\, or text BNOON to 44-321. Contributions can also be mailed to The Bach Choir of Bethlehem at 440 Heckewelder Place\, Bethlehem\, PA 18018. \n\n\nShare This:
URL:https://bach.org/event/june-bach-at-noon/
LOCATION:St. John’s Lutheran Church\, 37 S. 5th Street\, Allentown\, PA\, 18101\, United States
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