[slideshow]

The blog has been quiet for a bit, but The Choir has has been busy with several performances and projects since I last wrote.  I was out of town for a family funeral and was unable to sing at the Family Concert, and unable to attend the February Bach at Noon.  By all accounts, both were great successes, and I’m sorry to have missed them.  Our excellent Deputy Executive Director, Karen Glose, took some pictures at the Family Concert, which I’ve posted above (the slideshow also includes a photo from the Allentown Bach to School this past fall).  Members of The Choir also participated in our educational outreach program, presenting our Bach to School program to hundreds of students in Bethlehem (all of the 3rd grade students in the district – something The Choir does yearly), Kutztown, and at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in Bethlehem.  This past fall, the same program was offered in the Allentown School District.  For many attendees, this is the first time they will hear a choral/orchestral performance, and the repertoire includes age-appropriate pieces such as the Gloria and Et in terra pax, from the Mass in B Minor, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, from Cantata No. 147, and a zippy jazz arrangement of the Sleepers Wake chorus from Cantata No. 140.  Several virtuosi from the Bach Festival Orchestra accompany the singers, and Greg Funfgeld delivers engaging commentary while introducing the pieces on the program.  The annual Family Concert and Bach to School programs are key components in our ambitious program of educational outreach, which serve to introduce new generations to The Choir and the beautiful and timeless music of Bach.  Each student who attends a Bach to School program is given the opportunity to receive two free tickets to select concerts during our season, and many take us up on the kind offer.  It would be hard to overstate the importance of these programs – we are passionate about sharing this beautiful music with everyone, and many of our generous financial supporters cite this importante component of our mission as a reason for their philanthropy.    More information about Bach to School is available on The Choir’s website, here.  Thanks to everyone who attended the Family Concert, as well as those who support The Choir’s educational outreach programs.