The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

choir in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. 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 The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

, which first began operations in 1899. Based in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, the choir has toured internationally, performing at

the Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

, the

Thomaskirche , native_name_lang = , image = Leipzig Thomaskirche.jpg , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt ...

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

(where

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

was a

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

), 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 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 Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

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

as early as 1870). Following that premiere performance, the choir then also delivered the first complete performance in America of Bach's

Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance on one of t ...

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 recorde ...

, 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 The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

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 Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace C ...

(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

: ''Christmas in Leipzig''. CD Dorian DOR-90113 1988 *

: ''Wachet auf!''. CD,Album Dorian DOR-90127 1989 *''Christmas in Bethlehem''. CD, Album Helffrich Recording Labs 1994 *

: ''Mass in B Minor''. 2xCD, Album Dorian DOR-90253 1998 *

: ''Christmas Oratorio''. 2xCD Dorian 1999 *

: ''The Ascension Oratorio and Two Festive Cantatas'', CD Dorian 2002 *''Christmas in Bethlehem, Vol. 4'', CD, Album 2006 *

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 *

: ''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