{"id":141869,"date":"2025-04-22T22:18:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T02:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=141869"},"modified":"2025-04-22T22:18:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T02:18:31","slug":"the-bach-choir-of-bethlehem-announces-its-117th-bethlehem-bach-festival-a-reimagined-celebration-of-music-tradition-and-bach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=141869","title":{"rendered":"The Bach Choir of Bethlehem Announces Its 117th Bethlehem Bach Festival: A Reimagined Celebration of Music, Tradition, and Bach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem, Pa.<\/em>\u00a0– The Bach Choir of Bethlehem proudly unveils the 117th Bethlehem Bach Festival\u2014a reimagined, four-day celebration of Bach\u2019s timeless genius\u202fand the vibrant legacy of\u00a0the<\/strong>\u00a0longest-running Bach festival in the United States<\/strong>. From May 8\u201311, 2025, audiences from near and far will experience an unforgettable weekend of beloved traditions, acclaimed performers, and fresh new programming\u2014all across the scenic campus of Lehigh University and within the newly designated UNESCO World Heritage site in Historic Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

This year marks a bold new chapter in the Festival\u2019s history as we embrace a streamlined format, transforming the event into\u202fone immersive, long weekend\u202ffilled with the music, scholarship, and community that define the Bethlehem Bach Festival. \u201cBy melding our Festival events into one seamless experience,\u201d shares Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Christopher Jackson, \u201cwe\u2019re heightening the sense of energy, intimacy, and shared experience that has always made this Festival so meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Featured in this year\u2019s performances is\u202fFestival Artist-in-Residence\u00a0Rachell Ellen Wong<\/strong>, recipient of the prestigious 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition. Wong will grace the stage throughout the weekend, including a headlining performance at\u00a0the Ifor Jones Memorial Chamber Music Concert<\/strong>, featuring Tartini\u2019s\u202fDevil\u2019s Trill Sonata<\/em>, Bach\u2019s\u202fBrandenburg Concerto No. 3,<\/em>\u00a0and works by Telemann and Chevalier de Saint-Georges.<\/p>\n

Returning Festival favorites include tenor\u202fDann Coakwell<\/strong>, mezzo-soprano\u202fMeg Bragle<\/strong>, and soprano\u202fSherezade Panthaki<\/strong>, with bass-baritone\u202fJonathan Woody<\/strong>\u202fmaking his Festival debut. Beloved cornerstone programs will also return, including\u202fBach at 4<\/strong>, showcasing the brilliance of Bach and his contemporaries; the intimate\u202fChamber Music in the Saal<\/strong>, highlighting virtuosic and rarely heard gems; and\u202fZimmermann\u2019s Coffee House<\/strong>, where lively, informal performances evoke the spirited gatherings of Bach\u2019s own time. Friday evening\u2019s\u202fBach at 8<\/strong>\u202fconcert in the majestic Packer Memorial Church sets the stage for the Festival\u2019s crown jewel\u2014Bach\u2019s Mass in B Minor<\/strong>\u2014on Saturday evening, a transcendent display of unforgettable music.<\/p>\n

Among this year\u2019s exciting\u202fnew additions\u202fis\u202f\u201cOutside the Bachs,\u201d<\/strong>\u202fan interdisciplinary concert collaboration featuring Flamenco dancer\u202fFanny Ara<\/strong>, guitarist\u202fWilliam Coulter<\/strong>, and violinist\u202fEdwin Huizinga<\/strong>\u202fof Fire & Grace. Together, they\u2019ll blend classical, folk, and contemporary traditions in a breathtaking exploration of Bach\u2019s global influence.<\/p>\n

Scholars and curious listeners alike will find inspiration in the\u202f\u201cCantata in Context\u201d<\/strong>\u202fseries with Bach scholar\u202fDr. Daniel R. Melamed<\/strong>, featuring a guided exploration and multiple performances of\u202fWachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme<\/em>,\u202fBWV 140.<\/p>\n

Community remains at the core of the Festival with events like the\u202fChorale Sings,\u202fFamily Storytime\u202fat the Bethlehem Area Public Library, and a special\u202fBel Canto Youth Chorus\u202fperformance in the Zoellner Arts Center. Festival-goers can also enjoy a rare glimpse into The Bach Choir\u2019s past with a special screening of newly digitized archival films\u2014including footage from the 1920s and the 1968 Bell Telephone Hour episode\u202fGoing to Bethlehem<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s truly something for everyone at this year\u2019s Festival,\u201d says Executive Director\u202fLeela Breithaupt. \u201cWhether you\u2019re a lifelong patron or attending for the first time, we invite you to come as you are and be transported\u2014by music, by friendship, and by the joy of gathering together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets and full schedule information<\/strong>\u00a0are available at\u00a0bach.org<\/a>. Join us in Bethlehem this May to experience the joy, wonder, and magic of Bach like never before.<\/p>\n

Event Details<\/em><\/strong>
\nWhat:<\/strong>\u00a0Bethlehem Bach Festival<\/p>\n

When:<\/strong>\u00a0Thursday, May 8 to Sunday, May 11<\/p>\n

Where:<\/strong>\u00a0Lehigh University and Downtown Bethlehem<\/p>\n

Tickets:<\/strong>\u00a0Available at\u00a0bach.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ABOUT THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded in 1898 and comprised of 115 dedicated volunteer singers, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest American Bach Choir, performing the first complete U.S. renditions of Bach\u2019s\u00a0Mass in B Minor\u00a0in 1900 and\u00a0Christmas Oratorio\u00a0in 1901. Under Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Christopher Jackson, the choir attracts thousands each year to Bethlehem, PA for its annual Bethlehem Bach Festival. Programming includes over 40 concerts and educational events per year, reaching an audience of more than 22,000 through outreach programs like Bach to School, Bach at Noon, interdisciplinary family concerts, and more. The choir\u2019s latest recording,\u00a0Mendelssohn\/Bach Matth\u00e4us-Passion (2024)\u00a0was released by Analekta, Canada\u2019s largest indie classic label. The Bach Choir\u2019s Bel Canto Youth Chorus, an educational program under the direction of Director Kelly Rocchi, is training the next generation of choral singers and cultivating a life-long passion for the choral arts. For more information, visit\u00a0BACH.org<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nGlenn Koehler<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bethlehem, Pa.\u00a0– The Bach Choir of Bethlehem proudly unveils the 117th Bethlehem Bach Festival\u2014a reimagined, four-day celebration of Bach\u2019s timeless genius\u202fand the vibrant legacy of\u00a0the\u00a0longest-running Bach festival in the United … Continue reading The Bach Choir of Bethlehem Announces Its 117th Bethlehem Bach Festival: A Reimagined Celebration of Music, Tradition, and Bach<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5717,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bethlehem","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/bach-choir-logo.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141869"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=141869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/140601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=141869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=141869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=141869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}