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Bach at NoonChristmas ConcertsFamily ConcertsSpring Concerts112th Bethlehem Bach FestivalGala Concert & FundraiserThe joyous music of Christmas!
Advent and the Nativity
through the music of J.S. Bach and Ottorino Respighi
Saturday, December 8 at 8 pm
First Presbyterian Church, Allentown
Sunday, December 9 at 4pm
First Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem
For the repertoire and information on soloists, scroll up and click on Christmas Concerts in the “Jump to” box, and then “view more.” Or click here!
Online ticket sales close at 12 noon on Saturday, December 8. If the concerts are not sold out, tickets will be on sale at each concert; in Allentown starting at 7pm and in Bethlehem starting at 3pm. Watch this space for updates on availability!
There is one 15-minute intermission; Saturday’s concert will conclude at approximately 10pm; Sunday’s performance will conclude at approximately 6pm.
Please note: We have a new ticketing system in place this season. Should you have any difficulty placing an online ticket order, please call the Bach Choir Office: 610 – 866 – 4382, ext. 115. We will place your order, notify our ticketing system about your online experience and address your concerns.
Bach and Handel CDs make cherished gifts!
Recorded in Bethlehem in May, 2018, these CDs include:
2-CD Set: J.S. Bach, Cantata BWV 21 and George Frideric Handel, Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day
$30
Greg Funfgeld conducts The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and Bach Festival Orchestra, with featured soloists:
Cassandra Lemoine, soprano
Rosa Lamoreux, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Single CDs are also available for $17 each.
Treat yourself and friends and family to this exquisite music! Place your order by clicking our “Shop” page or calling 610-866-4382.
Bach at Noon returns to Bethlehem in January!
Join us at Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem for our next Bach at Noon on Tuesday, January 8.
Always free and open to the public, this concert series offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy midday spiritual and musical refreshment – treat yourself and a friend!
Please go the “Jump to” box for the repertoire and details for each Bach at Noon concert! Information about directions and parking may be found here. (Click on Central Moravian Church from the list of locations.)
And to hear from our wonderfully dedicated Choir members, explore the links below!
⇒ VOICES from the CHOIR
- To take a peek at rehearsal for the Festival: click here!
- “A gift I did not ever see coming” : click here!
- “…for people to feel what we feel!” : click here!
- “…more down-to-earth than people think.” : click here!
- “…in our own backyard!” : click here!
Bach at Noon
Initiated in 2005, this free concert series was designed as a community and economic development initiative educating new audiences about Bach’s music. It includes seven performances throughout the year at Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem and three summer concerts at St. John’s Lutheran Church in downtown Allentown. Greg Funfgeld introduces each program with an engaging, informal talk. Bach at Noon has been a phenomenal success attracting audiences of all ages totaling more than 8,000 a year. A frequent response from audience members is, “This is such a blessing!”
This season, we’re thrilled to announce that our Bach at Noon concerts will be broadcast by WWFM, the Classical Network. This award-winning classical music station is listener supported, and has offered a number of Bach Choir concerts in previous seasons. We’re delighted that they’ll be sharing our joyous Bach at Noon concerts with listeners near and far each month!
The schedule for the WWFM broadcasts is shown below, listing the concert, followed by the broadcast date. Note that each month, the broadcasts take place at 1 PM on the second Monday of the month.
2018:
September 11 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, October 8
October 9 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, November 12
Click the bold line above to listen to the October 9th concert!
2019:
November 13 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, January 7
January 8 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, February 11
February 12 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, March 11
March 12 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, April 8
April 9 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, June 10
June 11 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, July 8
July 9 Bach at Noon / Broadcast on Monday, August 12
Christmas Concerts
The Choir’s long tradition of offering Christmas music concerts began with the first complete performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in the United States in 1901. Since then, the Choir has continued to bring Bach’s music, along with the sacred Christmas music of other composers, including more contemporary pieces, to the community with its annual December concerts in Allentown and Bethlehem.
Family Concerts
Initiated in 2000, the annual Family Concerts are imaginative, collaborative, interactive concerts that feature professional and student artists in the fields of music, dance, theater, visual arts, and poetry, performing with the full Bach Choir and Bach Festival Orchestra. For many parents, the Family Concert offers the perfect opportunity to introduce their children to Bach, classical music and a live performance.
Spring Concerts
Welcoming the spring and celebrating the sacred Easter season with the music of J.S. Bach has been a long been a tradition of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Centerpieces of these performances over the years have included Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude and The Passion According to Saint John, along with the works of more contemporary composers including Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten and Morten Lauridsen.
112th Bethlehem Bach Festival
Our largest event of the year takes place in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Lehigh University and on the historic grounds of the Moravian community. The Festival is a glorious tradition treasured by thousands of people from throughout the United States and beyond since the American premiere of Bach’s monumental Mass at the first Bethlehem Bach Festival in 1900. The Festival is presented each year over two weekends in May, and includes guest artists-in-residence, featured young musicians, lectures and chorale sings with the audience.
Gala Concert & Fundraiser
Peter Serkin
Building on the successful presentation of such high profile artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Dave Brubeck, Emma Kirkby, Tiempo Libre, Hilary Hahn, the Swingle Singers, Eliot Fisk, the American Boychoir, Bach Collegium Japan, Roomful of Teeth and Thomanerchor, the annual Gala is a fundraiser and a fun musical and social event featuring Bach connections in different genres with guest artists at the top of their field.
Download Gala Concert Ticket Order Form
The Gala Committee is working very hard to present an inviting and eclectic selection of of Auction items at this year’s event! Click the button below for a peek at the items up for bid. We’ll continue to update this over the next few weeks – so check back before November 3rd!
Don’t miss your chance to make a contribution and take home an outstanding item! (Can’t attend the Gala but would like to bid on one of our Live Auction items? Send an email to cheryl@bach.org with your bid! We’ll notify you if you’ve won following our event. )
Download 2018 Auction Item List
