A Gift of Music – A Noontime Blessing - The Heartbeat of our Community
Central Moravian Church, Historic Downtown Bethlehem
Second Tuesdays, 12:10-1:00pm
Sponsored by:
Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC
Hampson Mowrer Kreitz Insurance
Bosch Rexroth
Keystone Nazareth Charitable Foundation
Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

2009
September 15 (Third Tuesday for this concert only!)
Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor BWV 1043
 - Elizabeth Field and Claire Bright, violins
Cantata BWV 149 Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg

October 13
George Frederick Handel – Coronation Anthem No. 4 Let thy hand be strengthened
Concerto in A Major BWV 1055
 - Greg Funfgeld, harpsichord
Cantata BWV 73 Herr, wie du willt

November 10 - a program commemorating Veterans Day
George Frederick Handel – Coronation Anthem No. 3 My heart is inditing
Stephen Paulus – A Dream of Time
from the Mass in B Minor, BWV 232 – Dona nobis pacem

2010
January 12
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major BWV 1048
Cantata BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag

February 9
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051
Cantata BWV 18 Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt

March 9
Suite for Cello No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007
- Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Cantata BWV 12 Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen

April 13
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in E Minor, BWV 1034
Robin Kani, Flute
Cantata BWV 66 Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen

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.

Emma Kirkby, soprano & Jakob Lindberg, lute
Music by John Dowland, Henry Purcell, and J.S. Bach
Saturday October 31, 2009 at 8pm
Central Moravian Church
Sponsored by:
Coca Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley
Health Network Laboratories
Highmark Blue Shield
Iron Pigs
Viamedia
Pre-concert Benefactor Cocktails and Dinner at the Hotel Bethlehem, 5pm

Emma Kirkby is a legend in the world of early music and offers us a charming program of love songs by English masters John Dowland and Henry Purcell, interspersed with joyful dances on the lute. In homage to The Bach Choir and this special occasion, Emma and Jakob will also perform two pieces by Bach including one of the sacred songs he wrote for his wife Anna Magdalena. In 2007, Dame Emma Kirkby was featured in BBC Music Magazine as No. 10 in a list of the greatest sopranos of all time and included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Jakob Lindberg is known as one of the finest lute players in the world today, especially for his recordings of the complete solo lute music of John Dowland and his important recordings of Bach’s music for solo lute. We are delighted that this brilliant duo will come to Bethlehem as part of a rare United States tour.

This special event will also be a CD release party for The Bach Choir’s first recording for Analekta, Canada’s premiere classical recording company. Every Benefactor will receive a copy of the new recording at the dinner and the CDs will be for sale at a special discount rate at the concert.

General Admission $36, Students $18
Benefactors $250 per person (tax deductible portion $125)
Benefactor Tickets include reserved seating at the concert, a pre-concert cocktail and dinner party at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, an exclusive opportunity to bid on a selection of musical salons & other musical treats, and one free copy of our new Magnificat CD per person.
General Admission ticket buyers may reserve copies of the Magnificat CD at a reduced cost of $15 (Retail price - after the initial release will be $17). Reserved CDs must be picked up before or after the concert.

To purchase tickets please call the office at 610-866-4382 or toll-free 888-743-3100

Saturday, December 12, 2009, at 8pm
Pre-concert organ recital by Thomas Goeman, at 7:30pm
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown

Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 4pm
Pre-concert organ recital by Thomas Goeman, at 3:30pm
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Advent Cantata BWV 36 Schwingt freudig euch empor

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Motets including a setting of Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich (Dona Nobis Pacem)

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
The Saint Nicholas Mass Hob. XII:6

Johann Sebastian Bach
Christmas Cantata BWV 191 Gloria in excelsis Deo

At the close of a year that has celebrated the 200th anniversaries of Haydn’s death and Mendelssohn’s birth, our festive Bach Christmas Concert includes music by these two great composers including Haydn’s Saint Nicholas Mass, which has been described as “a spellbinding piece that can melt the hardest of hearts.” At the end of the program, you are invited to join in singing traditional carols.

Sunday January 31, 2010 at 3pm
Sponsored by:
Just Born
The Morning Call
Crayola
Holt Family Foundation

Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the genius and creativity of young composers in what proved to be – and may yet become – brilliant careers! All the works in this year’s concert were written under the age of 25 including pieces by the young Bach and Mozart. Games and stories will help engage our young listeners in learning about the art of musical composition. The centerpiece of the concert is the performance of two new choral works by young composers from the Lehigh Valley, winners of a competition for K-12 students sponsored by The Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

Young Composer Choral Competition criteria and application process are listed on our website here or call 610-866-4382 for information.

Sunday March 21, 2010 at 4pm
Sponsored by:
Hydac
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem
Pre-concert Lecture by Greg Funfgeld at 3:00pm

Come celebrate Bach’s 325th birthday with us! The Bach Choir will be joined by a large brass ensemble for performances of choral and instrumental works by Giovanni Gabrieli (1554-1612), Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), and Johann Sebastian Bach, including Bach’s Cantata 118 in the version he wrote for chorus and brass instruments. Also on the program, a stunning piece for four French horns, trumpets, trombones and tuba by Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)– his setting of an anonymous text from the 5th – 7th centuries –Apparebit Repentia Dies - “The great day of the Lord will suddenly appear!” Here is a wonderful opportunity to encounter famous composers who influenced J.S. Bach and see how he influenced one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.
Click here to purchase your tickets online.

May 7-8 & 13-15, 2010
Second and Third Weekends in May (please note change for this year only!)
Sponsored by:
Air Products
PGB Trust & Investments

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Click here to purchase your tickets online.

FRIDAYS, MAY 7 & 14

2pm: Dr. Michael Marissen Distinguished Scholar Lecture
“Bach and Mary”
Black Box Theatre, Zoellner Arts Center
Free Admission – no tickets required

4:30pm: Bach and Mary, Mother of God, Part 1
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University
The concerts on Friday afternoon and evening have as their theme Bach and Mary,Mother of God.Included will be one of Bach’s most beloved cantatas, the Annunciation Cantata BWV 147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, not heard at the Festival since 1985. Two other works on the program have been performed only once in the history of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem—Cantata BWV 158 Der Friede sei mit dir, another Marian cantata, performed in 1931 and the “small” Mass in A Major BWV 234 performed in 1972.

6pm: Dr. Larry Lipkis
Buffet Dinner with informal talk
Asa Packer Room, Lehigh University Center
Limited Seating – Tickets $35

8:30pm: Bach and Mary, Mother of God, Part 2
Packer Memorial Church, Lehigh University

The theme of Mary, Mother of God continues and the program includes a Festival premiere, our first performance of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s (1710-1736) Stabat Mater with Julia Doyle, soprano and Daniel Taylor countertenor. This is a work Bach knew and admired and arranged as a setting of Psalm 51 (“Tilge Höchster, meine Sünden”) BWV 1083 near the end of his life. Also included is Mary’s song of praise, The Magnificat BWV 243, not heard at the Festival since 2000 and featured on our new recording on the Analekta label.

SATURDAYS, MAY 8 & 15

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 (new location)

This year’s Ifor Jones Concert features Bach’s organ works—among the most important works ever written for the “king of instruments.” The collection of chorale preludes formally 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 the Communion hymn “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 Sanctuary, in full view of the audience, and Greg will offer commentary on these pieces and their inspiration. 

10:30am: J.S. Bach Concertos and Sonatas on Period Instruments
Chamber Music in Peter Hall (new location)
Peter Hall, Moravian College
Join us for a recreation of Bach’s concerts at Gottfried Zimmerman’s coffee house in Leipzig with Elizabeth Field, violin; Loretta O’Sullivan, cello; Charlotte Mattax, harpsichord, and other members of the Bach Festival Orchestra performing concertos and sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach on period instruments. This intimate chamber music concert takes place in the historic and charming Peter Hall, Moravian College, the earliest rehearsal site of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

12:30pm: Festival Luncheons
Asa Packer Dining Room, Lehigh University Center (new location)
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, BWV 232
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.

THURSDAY, MAY 13

8pm: Highlights of the Festival
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA
Featuring highlights from works performed during the main Festival concerts.

Click here to purchase your tickets online.

Repertoire and soloists subject to change