BETHLEHEM \u2014 Central Moravian Church will present an Advent and Christmas Concert on Dec. 7 at 1:30 p.m. in a program featuring choral and instrumental music to welcome the holiday season.<\/p>\n
\u201cCentral Moravian Church is happy to open its doors and invite the Lehigh Valley and visitors to Bethlehem to enjoy carols and fellowship as we prepare for the busy Christmas season,\u201d says Rebecca Lepore, minister of music.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope this gift to our community will help spread the message of God\u2019s love through music and word,\u201d she adds. \u201cOur annual concert will be even more meaningful this year as we join together in a historic church recently listed with worldwide Moravian Church Settlements as a UNESCO World Heritage site.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concert is free, and doors will open at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
The concert will open with an organ prelude, \u201cLet All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence\/Of the Father\u2019s Love Begotten,\u201d arranged by Lepore, who will also perform \u201cDance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,\u201d \u201cWalking in the Air\u201d and \u201cSkater\u2019s Waltz\u201d on Central Moravian\u2019s M\u00f6ller Opus 8650, with its four manuals, 109 ranks and 3,057 pipes.<\/p>\n
Central Moravian\u2019s choir will sing \u201cMorning Star in Darkest Night\u201d by Georg Friedrich von Hellstr\u00f6m (1825-1912), a Dutch-born Moravian composer, organist and violist who served the Moravian congregation in Christiansfeld, Denmark, also part of the Moravian Church Settlements listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The choir will also perform \u201cFestival Nowell\u201d by American composer Dan Forrest (b. 1978).<\/p>\n
Mainstreet Brass, ensemble in residence at Central Moravian, will perform a set of hymns and carols for Advent and Christmas, and the audience will be invited to join in singing hymns of the season, including the final verse of \u201cJesus Call Thou Me,\u201d sung on Christmas Eve in 1741, when Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf named this new community, Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
The concert will conclude with an organ and brass arrangement of Samuel Scheidt\u2019s (1587-1654) \u201cIn dulci jubilo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Central Moravian Church, founded in 1742, is Bethlehem\u2019s first congregation and the oldest Moravian Church in North America. Coming from a variety of backgrounds and traditions, the congregation today joins together to experience God\u2019s love in a caring, respectful and inclusive atmosphere. Central Moravian Church emphasizes Christian faith, hope and love.<\/p>\n
With a rich, living musical tradition, Central Moravian Church presents a full schedule of concerts annually. Early American Moravians had close connections to their European roots and sought and performed contemporary music being composed in Europe. Haydn\u2019s \u201cThe Creation\u201d was performed for the first time in the United States in the sanctuary of Central Moravian Church in 1811, and the first complete performance of Bach\u2019s Mass in B minor was presented at Central in 1900, thus giving Central Moravian Church status as a National Landmark of Music.<\/p>\n
Visit https:\/\/www.centralmoravianchurch.org\/season\/advent-christmas\/<\/a> for a complete listing of Advent and Christmas activities at Central Moravian Church.<\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BETHLEHEM \u2014 Central Moravian Church will present an Advent and Christmas Concert on Dec. 7 at 1:30 p.m. in a program featuring choral and instrumental music to welcome the holiday … Continue reading Central Moravian Church to Present Advent and Christmas Concert Dec. 7<\/span>
\nBryan Hay<\/p>\n