The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest Bach choir in the United States. Dating back to 1712, according to the choir's archives, it was formally founded in 1898 by Central Moravian Church organist John Frederick Wolle, and was established at roughly the same time as Bethlehem Steel, which first began operations in 1899. Based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the choir has toured internationally, performing at the Royal Albert Hall, the Thomaskirche in Leipzig (where Johann Sebastian Bach was a cantor), and the

Herkulessaal The Residenz (, ''Residence'') in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displ ...

in the

Munich Residenz The Residenz (, ''Residence'') in central Munich is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture, room decorations, and displ ...

(Munich's Royal Residence). It has also performed at such American venues as

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

and

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, has recorded with

the BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

and on the

Dorian Dorian may refer to: Ancient Greece * Dorians, one of the main ethnic divisions of ancient Greeks * Doric Greek, or Dorian, the dialect spoken by the Dorians Art and entertainment Films * ''Dorian'' (film), the Canadian title of the 2004 film ' ...

and

Analekta Analekta is Canada's largest independent classical music recording label. The label, which takes its name from the Greek word ''analekta'' ("a collection of the finest works"), was founded in 1988 by the Canadian music industry manager and entre ...

labels, and hosts the world's longest-running Bach festival.

History

Bach Choir Visits Cradle of Liberty (Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger, November 6, 1922)

Founded in 1898 by Central Moravian Church organist John Frederick Wolle, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem brought musicians together from the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania area to study the

Mass in B Minor The Mass in B minor (), BWV 232, is an extended setting of the Mass ordinary by Johann Sebastian Bach. The composition was completed in 1749, the year before the composer's death, and was to a large extent based on earlier work, such as a Sanctu ...

written by Johann Sebastian Bach. This choir is credited with having given the American premiere of Bach's complete Mass on March 27, 1900 (although there is evidence that parts of the Mass had been performed in the United States as early as 1870). Following that premiere performance, the choir then also delivered the first complete performance in America of Bach's Christmas Oratorio in 1901. In 1914, the Bach Choir's conductor, J. Frederick Wolle, was described by the ''Harrisburg Telegraph'' as "the foremost present-day student of Bach" in its coverage of the ensemble's performance at Bethlehem's ninth Bach festival. In 1921, Philadelphia's ''Evening Public Ledger'' described the ensemble as a "famous organization," and noted that its members would perform at that city's Academy of Music on November 6.

Bruce Carey Bruce Anderson Carey (16 November 1876 – 8 May 1960) was a Canadian choir conductor, baritone, and music educator. He began his career in Hamilton, Ontario, where he notably founded the Bach-Elgar Choir in 1905. After directing that ensemble ...

and

William Ifor Jones William Ifor Jones (January 23, 1900 – November 11, 1988) was a Welsh conductor and organist. Born into a large coal-mining family and raised in Merthyr Tydfil, Jones studied at the Royal Academy of Music as a scholarship student in London f ...

conducted the ensemble from 1933-1938 and 1939-1969, respectively. Alfred Mann, noted German-American musicologist, assumed leadership of the choir in 1970.

Greg Funfgeld Greg Funfgeld (born May 29, 1953 on Long Island, New York) is an American conductor, especially a choral conductor. He has been the artistic director and conductor of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem from 1983, appearing internationally. He has recorded ...

, a 1976 graduate of Westminster Choir College, was the conductor from 1983 - 2021. Under his leadership, the choir expanded its concertizing from annual performances at the Bethlehem Bach Festival to a year-round series of 31 concerts, released numerous recordings, and has been involved with the production of two films (the PBS documentary, ''Make a Joyful Noise'', and the internationally distributed Classical Kids’ DVD, ''Mr. Bach Comes to Call''. Funfgeld also initiated and expanded the choir's educational outreach initiatives, including ''Bach to School'' and ''Bach at Noon'', which were awarded National Endowment for the Arts grants from 2011 to 2017 and a 2012 international award from the

J. S. Bach-Stiftung The J. S. Bach-Stiftung, known in English as the J. S. Bach Foundation, is a Swiss foundation established in St. Gallen in 1999 to support the performance of the vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

foundation in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. In 2007, The Bethlehem and Baldwin Wallace University (BW Bach Festival), the oldest collegiate Bach festival in the nation as well as the second-oldest Bach festival in the nation), performed together for BW's 75th anniversary of the festival. These two groups have worked together to celebrate the milestones of their festivals. Riemenschneider, founder of the BW festival, was inspired by a 1931 trip to the Bethlehem Bach Festival.ECOND Edition> In May 2019, the choir announced that both its artistic and executive directors would retire within two years. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed their plans, leading Bridget George to retire as Executive Director in June 2021, to be succeeded by Leela Breithaupt. Greg Funfgeld stayed on as Artistic Director and Conductor for one more year, retiring in June 2022 after 39 years of service. Dr. Christopher Jackson was announced as the Choir's seventh Artistic Director and Conductor on May 26, 2022.
Bethlehem’s Bach Choir announces new artistic director and conductor to lead music program
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: ''Morning Call'', May 26, 2022.

Selected Discography

* Johann Sebastian Bach : ''Christmas in Leipzig''. CD Dorian DOR-90113 1988 * Johann Sebastian Bach : ''Wachet auf!''. CD,Album Dorian DOR-90127 1989 *''Christmas in Bethlehem''. CD, Album Helffrich Recording Labs 1994 * Johann Sebastian Bach : ''Mass in B Minor''. 2xCD, Album Dorian DOR-90253 1998 * Johann Sebastian Bach : ''Christmas Oratorio''. 2xCD Dorian 1999 * Johann Sebastian Bach : ''The Ascension Oratorio and Two Festive Cantatas'', CD Dorian 2002 *''Christmas in Bethlehem, Vol. 4'', CD, Album 2006 * Johann Sebastian Bach,

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

: ''Magnificat/Cantata 191/Gloria''. CD Analekta AN 2 9872 2009 * Johann Sebastian Bach : ''Saint John Passion''. 2xCD, Album Analekta AN2 9890-1 2012 *''A Child's Christmas in Bethlehem''. CD Analekta 2013 *

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

: ''Ode for St. Cecelia's Day''. CD,Album Analekta AN 2 9541 2018

References

External links

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem's website
*Walters, Raymon
''The Bethlehem Bach choir; an historical and interpretative sketch''
Houghton Mifflin, 1918 * William Frederic Badèbr>"Bach Redevivus"
''The Independent 52, pp1788–1780, July 26, 1900.
Make A Joyful Noise: The Bach Choir of Bethlehem
, in "PBS39 Documentaries." Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, WLVT-TV, retrieved online February 15, 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bach Choir of Bethlehem 1898 establishments in Pennsylvania Bach choirs Bach festivals Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Choirs in Pennsylvania Musical groups established in 1898