VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT 2020

Opening Up Our Hearts – Music and Inspiration of Christmas

PREMIERE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 at 4pm

The world may have changed but… There is still Christmas. There is still Bethlehem. And we are still The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. The Bach Choir gratefully acknowledges the principal sponsors of the 2020 Virtual Christmas Concert

Individual Sponsors

The Leon and June Holt Memorial Fund

Fairbairn Family Choir Development Fund

Hank & Joanne Barnette

Diana Martin & Frank Burgess

William O’Donnell

Dr. Edward & Carol Salgado

Anthony R. Thompson & Vickie Ziegler Thompson

The Bach Choir is supported in part by

Thank you for helping us share our light and this beautiful musical message of hope from Bethlehem at Christmas.

The Bach Choir is profoundly grateful to John and Carol Daniel for their generous gift to endow The Bach Choir’s annual Bethlehem Christmas Concert, in memory of Rev. Dr. David Paul Daniel. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem Guest Soloists

GREG FUNFGELD, Artistic Director & Conductor is now in his 38th season as artistic director and conductor of The Bach Choir of NOLA RICHARDSON, Soprano is making her LAWRENCE JONES, Tenor, has established an Bethlehem. He has expanded the programs of The Bach Choir beyond the annual Bach Festival to become a year-round season of 40 mark as an “especially impressive” (New York Times) active presence on the concert and operatic stages, concerts and educational programs with an audience of more than 22,000. Mr. Funfgeld led The Choir on two major concert tours, to soprano. An Australian by birth, she has spent most receiving praise for his portrayals of Tom Rakewell Germany in 1995 and to the United Kingdom in 2003 including a performance for the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall. of her life in the United States and was the 2016 in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at the Princeton He also directed The Choir’s Centennial performances at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall in 1999–2000. In 2011, Mr. Funfgeld winner of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem/American and Aldeburgh Festivals. The New York Times wrote, directed The Choir in New York City performances at Saint Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church, Wall Street, as part of a series of con- Bach Society Young American Singer Competition “Tenor Lawrence Jones brought a light, sweet voice and certs entitled Remember to Love, presented in observance of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. Commissioned works during Mr. Funfgeld’s and a Carmel Bach Festival Virginia Best Adams lyricism to Tom” and Opera News praised him for his tenure include Libby Larsen’s Cantata I It Am – The Shewings of Julian of Norwich, co-commissioned with the BBC Proms, Stephen Fellow in 2019. She has been praised for her “clean, ringing tenor.” Opera credits include New York Paulus’ A Dream of Time, commissioned in honor of Funfgeld’s 25th anniversary with The Bach Choir, and Young Meister Bach, “astonishing balance and accuracy,” “crystalline City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Opera Saratoga. a one-act comic opera by Chuck Holdeman and Bill Bly. Under Mr. Funfgeld’s leadership, The Choir has released 13 recordings and diction,” and “natural-sounding ease” (Washington He has sung as a soloist with the Utah Symphony, co-produced two films – the PBS documentary Make a Joyful Noise, and the internationally distributed Classical Kids’ DVD, Mr. Bach Comes to Call. Mr. Funfgeld Post). Ms. Richardson’s wide repertoire spans from music of the medieval Musica Sacra, Boston Baroque, Boston Pops, Albany Symphony, and Rhode is the architect and director of The Choir’s outstanding educational outreach programs, including Bach to School, Bach at Noon, and the annual interdisciplinary period to several world premieres, and she performs frequently throughout Island Philharmonic. A frequent performer of Bach, Lawrence’s credits include Family Concert. These programs have been awarded an annual grant from the National Endowment for the Arts since 2011 and an international award from the United States. Some highlights of recent seasons include her debut the Evangelist in the Christmas Oratorio with the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, the J.S. Bach Foundation, Switzerland in 2012. Mr. Funfgeld is a member of the advisory board of The American Bach Society. He also served as the director of with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performing Bach’s Cantata 51 and tenor soloist in the Saint John Passion with the Kalamazoo Bach Festival, music at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem for 40 years until 2016. In 2019 he directed The Lehigh University Philharmonic during Eugene Albulescu’s and Scarlatti’s Su le Sponde del Tebro; soloist with the Boston Pops under Bach Society of St. Louis, and the New Mexico Philharmonic. In New York, sabbatical. He is a 1976 graduate of Westminster Choir College, where he studied under Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt. In 1986, he received the Alumni Merit Award Keith Lockhart in “Simply Sondheim”; Handel’s Messiah with the Colorado he sang as tenor soloist in the Saint Matthew Passion with the Saint Thomas for excellence in musical performance. Mr. Funfgeld was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lehigh University in 2007 and Moravian Symphony; a tour to Russia, Estonia, and Latvia as soloist in Arvo Pärt’s Choir, the Mass in B Minor with the Oratorio Society of New York, and the College in 2018, in recognition of his musical accomplishments locally, nationally, and internationally. Passio with the Yale Schola Cantorum; the premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s Evangelist in the Saint John Passion with the Cathedral Choirs and Orchestra Carroll in Numberland (alongside soprano Dawn Upshaw) at Tanglewood; of St. John the Divine. Active in the performance of contemporary works, The oldest American Bach Choir, THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM gave the first complete American performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor in 1900 and the First Lady in Clarion Music Society’s production of Die Zauberflöte. Lawrence made his company debut in Oliver Knussen’s Where the Wild Things and Christmas Oratorio in 1901. Since its founding in 1898, the now-famous Choir has been attracting thousands of visitors from across the United States and Ms. Richardson’s 2018–19 season featured her debuts with Opera Lafayette, Are at New York City Opera, and sang in the American Stage Premiere of beyond to the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival in Pennsylvania. Since 1983, under Greg Funfgeld’s direction, the 85 dedicated volunteer singers of The Bach The English Concert, The Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, and Elliott Carter’s opera What Next? at Tanglewood. Concert engagements have Choir of Bethlehem, performing with the Bach Festival Orchestra and distinguished soloists, have received international acclaim. Programming has expanded Musica Sacra. 2019–20 included “Baroque Spectacular” with the Voices of included the American Premiere of Nico Muhly’s My Days with viol consort to 40 concerts and educational programs per year for an audience of more than 22,000. Venues have included the Herkulessaal at Munich’s Royal Residence Ascension (NY), Faure’s Requiem and Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Fretwork, Arvo Pärt’s Passio with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and a and the Thomaskirche, Bach’s church in Leipzig, as part of the 1995 Germany tour; The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall as part of The Choir’s Centennial Monmouth Civic Chorale (NY); and The Well-Caffeinated Clavier with the tribute concert for Elliott Carter at Juilliard, in Mad Regales. Celebration in 1998–2000; the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of an eight-concert tour of the United Kingdom in 2003; and Severance Philharmonic Baroque Orchestra, San Francisco. Hall, Cleveland, for the 75th anniversary of the Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival in 2007. In September 2011, The Bach Choir represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a 10th anniversary musical observance of 9/11 in New York City, giving concerts in Saint Paul’s Chapel and Trinity Church, Wall Street. In DAVID NEWMAN, Bass, enjoys an active and varied 2013, The Choir performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Strathmore in the Washington D.C. area, and in 2014, the new opera Young Meister Bach for the 250th MEG BRAGLE, Mezzo-soprano: Widely praised for concert career throughout North America. Hailed anniversary of the German Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In June 2021, The Bach Choir will be featured in a performance in the Thomaskirche, as her musical intelligence and “expressive virtuosity” as “electrifying” by the Washington Post, he is in part of Leipzig’s famous Bachfest, with additional concerts in Dresden, Herrnhut, and Prague. The Choir has released 11 recordings on the Dorian and Analekta (San Francisco Chronicle), Meg Bragle has earned particular demand as a Baroque specialist. He has labels including most recently Bach’s Cantata 21 (2018), Handel’s Ode for Saint Cecilia’s Day (2018), A Child’s Christmas in Bethlehem (2013), and Saint John an international reputation as one of today’s most performed Handel’s Messiah with Tafelmusik, Portland Passion (2012). The Choir has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and Prairie Home Companion, Deutsche Radio, the BBC World gifted mezzo-sopranos, particularly in the field of Baroque Orchestra, and with Masterwork Chorus in Service, CBS Sunday Morning, and the Emmy award-winning PBS documentary on The Choir, Make a Joyful Noise. It has been recognized for its outstanding early music. A frequent soloist with Sir John Eliot Carnegie Hall; Saint John Passion with the American educational outreach programs (Bach at Noon, Bach to School, and interdisciplinary Family Concerts) by annual awards from the National Endowment for the Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists, she has Bach Soloists and Carmel Bach Festival; and Saint Arts (2011–2019). The J.S. Bach Foundation in Switzerland named The Bach Choir of Bethlehem as the first American recipient of its annual award to a single made four recordings with the group, including Matthew Passion with the Bach Society of St. Louis, Bach organization, recognizingThe Bach Choir’s outstanding work in Bach performance and education for young people (2012). Mr. Bach Comes to Call, a film Bach’s Easter and Ascension Oratorios – the vehicle San Francisco Bach Choir, and a national tour with based on the acclaimed Classical Kids CD, was co-produced by The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and is distributed internationally by the Children’s Group. In July for her BBC Proms debut − and the 2015 release the combined forces of Santa Fe Pro Musica and the Smithsonian Chamber 2018, our affiliated Bel Canto Youth Chorus, currently celebrating its 27th year under the direction of founder Joy Hirokawa, officially merged with The Bach of Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Highlights of her 2019/20 season include returns Players. In his debut with the Washington Bach Consort, Mr. Newman was Choir of Bethlehem. Both organizations are looking to increase their impact in training the next generation of choral singers and cultivating a life-long passion to Seattle Symphony (Messiah), Colorado Symphony, Winter Park Bach noted by the Baltimore Sun for his “exquisitely phrased, velvet-toned Mache for the choral arts. For more information visit The Bach Choir’s website – BACH.ORG. Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Tempesta di Mare, and the Dunedin Consort. dich, mein Herz.” Other notable appearances include Bach’s Mass in B Minor She makes her debut with the San Antonio Symphony this fall performing and Christmas Oratorio with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Coffee Cantata, THE BEL CANTO YOUTH CHORUS: Founded by and under the direction of Dr. Joy Hirokawa since 1993, The Bel Canto Youth Chorus is comprised of Mozart’s Requiem. Other performances include those with Voices of Music, Easter Oratorio, and Christmas Oratorio with the Santa Fe Bach Festival, and auditioned treble singers from five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania, and has developed an international reputation for performing choral repertoire at the Washington Bach Consort, and a recital of early George Crumb Songs at the Haydn’s Creation with The Honolulu Symphony. He was also a featured soloist highest standards of musical excellence and style. In July, 2018, Bel Canto Youth Chorus officially merged with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem as its affiliated University of Pennsylvania. In addition to those with the English Baroque in the Sorbonne’s 2003 Festival Berlioz in Paris with the UC Davis Symphony youth chorus. It provides an educational and artistic musical experience for children of diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds and nurtures a sense Soloists, she has made several recordings with Apollo’s Fire: Mozart’s Orchestra. He has appeared regularly as a guest artist with the Four Nations of accomplishment and community through the outstanding performance of their diverse choral repertoire. The choir has been invited to perform for numerous Requiem (Koch), Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Ode for the Birthday of Ensemble, including performances in Lincoln Center and Merkin Hall, and has music conferences, including the Eastern Division ACDA (2010 and 2006), Eastern Division MENC, PMEA, AGO and Pennsylvania ACDA conferences. In 2013, Queen Anne (Avie), and Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine (Avie), also performed with the Spoleto Festival, Opera Company of Philadelphia, the choir completed a recording with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem for a Christmas CD that was released on the Analekta label. The choir was honored in July and L’Orfeo (Eclectra). Other recordings include Bach’s Saint. John Passion Metropolitan Opera Guild, Opera Birmingham, Philadelphia Orchestra, and 2011 to be recognized as the winner of The American Prize in the Children’s Chorus category. The choir frequently collaborates with other artists, such as the with Arion Baroque (ATMA Classique). A new recording of Pergolesi’s the Russian National Orchestra. His recording of Alexander’s Feast with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the Allentown Symphony, the Bucks County Choral Society, and the Lehigh University Choral Union. They performed a Concert for Stabat Mater with the Winter Park Bach Festival is forthcoming. Ms. Bragle Bach Sinfonia was released on the Dorian label. Mr. Newman teaches voice Peace with Philadelphia based Atzilut in March 2009. In 2007, the choir was honored to be part of the Philadelphia premiere performance of John Adams’ is based in Philadelphia where she is Artist in Residence at the University at James Madison University. On the Transmigration of Souls, presented by the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia (Alan Harler, director). Tours have taken the choir to Central Europe, Italy, of Pennsylvania. Ireland, Canada, England, Oregon, Brooklyn, Disneyworld, Ohio, and twice to Hawaii for the Pacific Rim Children’s Choral Festival under the direction of Henry Leck. In July, 2019, the group traveled to the U.K. to be part of the International Children’s Choir Festival, and performed at Canterbury Cathedral, Coventry U Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral in London. BACH.ORG/BELCANTO

2 3 Texts & Translations Texts & Translations CONTINUED Translation from the German by H. Ellis Finger

1. Welcome 6. from Concerto for Violin in A Minor, BWV 1041 Johann Sebastian Bach – Elizabeth Field, violin | Loretta O’Sullivan, cello | Stephen Groat, bass | Greg Funfgeld, piano

2. Ding Dong Merrily on High Traditional Carol Movement 3 – Allegro assai 16th Century French tune harmonized by Charles Wood (1866–1926) | Text: G.R. Woodward (1848–1934) – The Bach Choir of Bethlehem 7. Aria from the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, Part 2 Johann Sebastian Bach Ding! dong! merrily on high E’en so here below, below, Pray you, dutifully prime – Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano in heav’n the bells are ringing: let steeple bells be swungen, your matin chime, ye ringers; Ding! dong! verily the sky And “Io, io, io!” May you beautifully rime Bereite dich, Zion, mit zätlichen Trieben, Make ready, Zion, with tender feelings, is riv’n with angels singing! by priest and people sungen! your evetime song, ye singers. den Schönsten, den Liebsten blad bei dir zu sehn! To see in your midst the most lovely one, the dearest! Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! Eile, den Bräutigam sehhnlichst zu lieben! Your cheeks must now glow more radiantly! Deine Wangen müssen heut viel schöner prangen. Make haste, greet your bridegroom with most ardent love. 3. Ave Maria Robert Parsons c.1530–70 – The Bach Choir of Bethlehem 8. Reading – from A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens (1812–1870) Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.  – Luke DiGiacinto, Choir member | Scrooge’s Nephew, Fred Hollowell Benedicta tu in mulieribus, Blessed art thou among women, et benedictus fructus ventris tui. Amen. and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Amen. There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my 4. Reading – Saint Luke: 2: 1-20 – Revised Standard Version pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it! – Bishop Hopeton Clennon, Senior Pastor, Central Moravian Church Bethlehem

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirin’i-us was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from 9. Up Above My Head Traditional Gospel Melody Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and arranged by Andrea Ramsey lineage of David, 5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came – Bel Canto Youth Chorus Concert Choir for her to be delivered. 7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Up above my head, angels in the air, Refrain Up above my head, angels in the air, Born in Bethlehem, a child so small, 8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord Singin’ “Do not fear, people everywhere, Born in Bethlehem, a child so small. appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, We’re bringing good news, A tiny boy, in a cattle stall, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; 11 for to you is born this we’re bringing good news to share.” day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in He’s bringing joy, he’s bringing joy to all. Refrain swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising Refrain God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”[a] Up above my head, music in the air, Up above my head, music in the air, All in this room, music in the air, 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and All around the world, singin’ everywhere, All in this room, music in the air. see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Oh, there’s enough love, and there’s enough joy to share. Down in my soul, I feel it there. Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them There’s plenty good news (I’m singin’ the news), Shepherds in the field, watchin’ flocks by night, concerning this child; 18 and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary kept all these things, You know there’s good news, (I’m shoutin’ the news!) Shepherds in the field, watchin’ flocks by night, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, That there’s enough joy, and there’s enough love, Way up in the sky, shining bright, as it had been told them. up above my head. They’re followin’ the star, they’re followin’ the star to night. 5. Aria from the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, Part 2 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) – Lawrence Jones, tenor | Robin Kani, flute U

Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet, Joyous shepherds speed, make haste, eh ihr euch zu lang verweilet, lest you tarry too long, eilt, das holde Kind zu sehn! hasten to see the gracious child! Geht, die Freude heisst zu schön, Go, with overabundant joy, sucht die Anmut zu gewinnen, go in search of grace, geht und labet Herz und Sinnen! and soothe your heart and senses! U

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10. Reading – [little tree] E.E. Cummings (1894–1962) 12. The Virgin’s Slumber Song, Opus 76, No. 52 Max Reger (1873–1916) – Julia Sobrinski & Bridget White, Bel Canto Youth Chorus choristers Poem by Martin Boelitz (1874–1918) – Nola Richardson, soprano little tree put up your little arms little silent Christmas tree and i’ll give them all to you to hold Amid the roses Mary sits and rocks her Jesus-child. Happy is Thy laughter, holy is Thy silent rest, you are so little every finger shall have its ring While amid the treetops sighs the breeze so warm and mild. Lay Thy head in slumber, fondly on Thy Mother’s breast! you are more like a flower and there won’t be a single place dark or unhappy And soft and sweetly sings a bird upon the bough: Ahr, Baby, dear one, slumber now! Ah, Baby, dear one, slumber now! who found you in the green forest then when you’re quite dressed and were you very sorry to come away? you’ll stand in the window for everyone to see see i will comfort you and how they’ll stare! because you smell so sweetly oh but you’ll be very proud 13. Aria from the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, Part 5 Johann Sebastian Bach – David Newman, bass | Nobuo Kitagawa, oboe d’amore i will kiss your cool bark and my little sister and i will take hands and hug you safe and tight and looking up at our beautiful tree Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnen, Cast your light also on my dark thoughts, just as your mother would, we’ll dance and sing erleuchte mein Herze illuminate my heart only don’t be afraid “Noel Noel” durch der Strahlen klaren Schein! with the radiance of your clear beams! look the spangles Dein Wort soll mir die hellste Kerze Your word shall be my brightest candle that sleep all the year in a dark box in allen meinen Werken sein; in all my actions; dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine, dies lässet die Seele nichts Böses beginnen. this will cleanse my soul of all things evil. the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

14. Reading – Christmas 2 George Herbert (1593–1633) 11. from Dies Natalis (Day of Birth) – V. The Salutation Gerald Finzi (1901–1956) – Bridget George, Executive Director Poem by Thomas Traherne, (1636–1674) – Lawrence Jones, tenor The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be? We sing one common Lord; wherefore he should My God, no hymn for Thee? Himself the candle hold. These little Limbs, My soul’s a shepherd too; a flock it feeds I will go searching, till I find a sun These Eys and Hands which here I find, of thoughts, and words, and deeds. shall stay, till we have done; This panting Heart wherewith my Life begins; The pasture is Thy word: the streams, Thy grace A willing shiner, that shall shine as gladly, Where have ye been? Behind enriching all the place. as frost-nipped suns look sadly. What Curtain were ye from me hid so long! Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers Then will we sing, and shine all our own day, Where was, in what Abyss, my new-made Tongue? outsing the daylight hours. and one another pay: When silent I Then will we chide the sun for letting night His beams shall cheer my breast, and both so twine, So many thousand thousand Years take up his place and right: till ev’n His beams sing, and my music shine. Beneath the Dust did in a Chaos ly, How could I Smiles, or Tears, Or Lips, or Hands, or Eys, or Ears perceiv? 15. Go Tell It on the Mountain Spiritual, arranged by Paul Sjolund Welcom ye Treasures which I now receiv. – Lane Conklin McCord, tenor | Bryan Holten, piano From Dust I rise And out of Nothing now awake; Go tell it on the mountain, A baby, in a manger, A star above was shining, These brighter Regions which salute mine Eys over the hills and ev’rywhere; was born that Christmas day; the child in manger lay; A Gift from God I take: Go tell it on the mountain He came down to save us, Wise men came because they knew The Earth, the Seas, the Light, the lofty Skies, that Jesus Christ is born. to wash all our sins away. He’d show us all the way. The Sun and Stars are mine; if these I prize. A Stranger here U Strange things doth meet, strange Glory see, Strange Treasures lodg’d in this fair World appear, Strange all and New to me: But that they mine should be who Nothing was, That Strangest is of all; yet brought to pass. U

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16. I Wonder as I Wander (Appalachian Carol) John Jacob Niles (1892–1980) 20. Reading – The Work of Christmas Howard Thurman (1899–1981) – Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano From Black Fire: African American Quakers on Spirituality & Human Rights – Grace Adele Hochella, Choir member I wonder as I wander, out under the sky, When Mary birthed Jesus, ‘twas in a cow’s stall, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all. When the song of the angels is stilled, To heal the broken, For poor on’ry people like you and like I… But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall, When the star in the sky is gone, To feed the hungry, I wonder as I wander, out under the sky. And the promise of ages it then did recall. When the kings and princes are home, To release the prisoner, When Mary birthed Jesus, ‘twas in aIf cow’s Jesus stall,had wanted for any wee thing, When the shepherds are back with their flocks, To rebuild the nations, With wise men and farmers and shepherdsA star in and the all.sky, or a bird on the wing, The work of Christmas begins: To bring peace among the people, But high from God’s heaven a star’sOr light all ofdid God’s fall, angels in heav’n for to sing, To find the lost, To make music in the heart. And the promise of ages it then did Herecall. surely could have it, ‘cause He was the King. Excerpt, “The Work of Christmas,” from Howard Thurman’s The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations is used by permission of Friends United Press. All rights reserved.

17. Reading – Thanks, Robert Frost David Ray (b. 1932) – Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor 21. Silent Night Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863) Do you have hope for the future?, that it will become something we can bear. Stille Nacht, by Joseph Mohr, 1818; translation anon., c. 1850 someone asked Robert Frost, toward the end. And I too, and my children, so I hope, Yes, and even for the past, he replied, will recall as not too heavy the tug that it will turn out to have been all right of those albatrosses I sadly placed for what it was, something we can accept, upon their tender necks. Hope for the past, mistakes made by the selves we had to be, yes, old Frost, your words provide that courage, not able to be, perhaps, what we wished, and it brings strange peace that itself passes or what looking back half the time it seems into past, easier to bear because we could so easily have been, or ought… you said it, rather casually, as snow The future, yes, and even for the past, went on falling in Vermont years ago. Permission to read this poem was granted by The Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group. © by David Ray (davidraypoet.com)

18. As Joseph Was A-walking Eric H. Thiman (1900–1975) – Nola Richardson, soprano

As Joseph was a-walking He neither shall be rockéd As Joseph was a-walking he heard an Angel sing: in silver nor in gold; there did an angel sing; This night shall be the birthtime But in a wooden manger And Mary’s Child at midnight of Christ, our heav’nly King. that resteth on the mould. was born to be our King. He neither shall be born He neither shall be clothéd Then be ye glad, good people, in housen nor in hall; in purple or in pall; this night of all the year, Nor in the place of Paradise But in the fair white linen And light ye up your candles, but in an ox’s stall. that usen babies all. for His star shineth clear.

19. Cantique de Noël (Christmas Song) Adolphe Adam (1803–1856) arranged by Carl Deis | David Newman, bass

O holy night! the stars are brightly shining, Truly He taught us to love one another; it is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth; His law is Love and His gospel is Peace; Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. and in his name all oppression shall cease. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn; let all within us praise his Holy name! Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices! Christ is the Lord, then ever, ever praise we! O night divine! O night when Christ was born! His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim! U 3. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht; Christ, in deiner Geburt, Lieb’ aus deinem göttlichen Mund, Christ, in deiner Geburt! Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund; 8 U 9 The Bach Choir Administration Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor Thomas Goeman, Assistant Conductor & Accompanist Rosa Lamoreaux, Vocal Coach Officers Artistic Staff Administrative Staff Janie Kolb Florenz, Choir Manager Harold G. Black Greg Funfgeld Bridget George President Artistic Director & Conductor Executive Director SOPRANO I ALTO I TENOR I BASS I The Rt. Rev. Hopeton Clennon Thomas Goeman Cheryl Dungan Kayla Alderfer Lynn Whitehouse Birney Kurt C. Anchorstar Tony Austin Vice-President Assistant Conductor & Accompanist Development Officer Shannon Aloise Laura Carlson Kevin Cone Jason Dietrich Cheryl Matherly Rosa Lamoreaux Renée James Rebecca Erhardt Christina Lamonica Luke DiGiacinto Joseph Fink Vice-President Vocal Coach Marketing Director Roberta George Linda Lipkis Brendan D. James Dodd Lamberton Annette Thiel Charlotte Mattax Moersch Claudia Carroll Emily A. Gross Johanna Pearson Charles Lutte John Nedick Secretary Finance & Business Manager Nancy Hooke Molly Porter Lane Conklin McCord Steven Rivera Orchestra Personnel Manager Deborah Ihling Kate Racculia Kelly Miller David Ruhf Sheldon W. Dean, Ph.D. Janie Kolb Florenz Silagh White Erynn R. Mann Jean Anne Shafferman Guy Rauscher Brian C. Snyder Assistant Secretary Choir Manager Bel Canto Administrator James Horvath Carrie Krug Nedick Martha Sipe Andrew Roberts John L. Sullivan The Bel Canto Youth Chorus Michael DeCrosta Treasurer Lucy Perusse Genevieve Wilde Terpstra Rhys Williams David R. Umla Joy Hirokawa Administrative Assistant Martha Cox Popichak Annette Thiel Benjamin Watson Anthony R. Thompson Founder & Artistic Director Linda Lipkis Assistant Treasurer Amy Ruhf Jean Donegan Vrabel TENOR II Peter Young Andrea Bernsten Archivist Roberta Wagner Jesus Castillo Collaborative Pianist Sophia Verbiscar Bridget White – Choral Scholar ALTO II Alan GaNun BASS II Production & Office Assistant Lynne Beck Dustin Hartman Todd Fennell Anne Schauer SOPRANO II Dorothy Z. Cockrell Mark Helms Bryan K. Gerhab Graphic Design Patty Alercia Jennifer Hay Jamie Henry Brian Hay Beverly Bailey Mary Zsido Paini Brian K. Holten James W. Rowland Wendy E. Borst Beverly Rumble Dave Mentzer Phil Turton Stacy Gabel Patti Sakdiponephong Michael Miller Board of Managers Jesse Gehman Debbie Turton Anthony R. Villani Italics denote leave of absence TERMS EXPIRING 2020 TERMS EXPIRING 2021 CHOIR REPRESENTATIVES Katherine Kaiser Christopher T. Wagner Patty Alercia Harold G. Black TO THE BOARD Roberta Kasmiroski James Horvath The Rt. Rev. Hopeton Clennon Kurt Anchorstar Tina M. Lebrecht Alfred J. Krug Charles P. Dangelmajer Carrie Krug Nedick Michel Lloyd Larry Lipkis, Ph.D. Sheldon W. Dean, Ph.D. Kate Racculia Lynn German Long Jennifer O’Donnell Jim Harbaugh Peter Young Meg McKenna Jack Payne Janet Loengard Marie Miller Erika Riddle Petrozelli Julie Macomb Kelly Seims David Ruhf Cheryl Matherly EMERITUS Nikki Seng Annette Thiel Joan M. Moran David G. Beckwith, Ph.D. Grace Adele Spruiell Donald Wertman Barbara Opper Janice S. Bonge Victoria Spruiell Charles Thiel John A. Jordan, Jr. Laura Welkey Anthony R. Thompson

The Bel Canto Youth Chorus of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem Special Thanks to the following for their assistance Joy Hirokawa, Artistic Director & Conductor with the Virtual Christmas Concert: Andrea Bernsten, collaborative pianist The Catherdral Church of the Nativity Janie Kolb Florenz & Lynn Birney – Choir pashminas First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem Patrick W. James – technical consultant Concert Choir Taylor Kendall Aixla Macbeth Lila Taylor Home Depot (Whitehall, Bethlehem, Easton) Ray Malec & Cameron James – parking Ella Campbell-Becker Noah Langkamer-Smith Ryan Pakzad Bridget White Rich-Mar Florists Cheryl Dungan, Olivia Dungan Laura Dunham Sorrel Langkamer-Smith Skye Scarlett Cassidy Williams Gail Gray Design & Jane Pearson – decorations Kate Gilchrist Samantha McQuaid Amy Schmitt La Petite Provence Nick Pokrivchak & Tim Wayne – production Julia Crawford Julia Sobrinski Carolyn Taylor Beck Tree Farms (Hamburg) David Ruhf – Choir blog U U U U Peter Young – transportation THANK YOU! 10 11 Support The Bach Choir of Bethlehem – “A National Treasure” Annual Fund – Corporate, Foundation & Government

Your financial support of our music and our mission ensures that we can present the timeless music of J.S. Bach at the highest standards of musical excellence. Corporate, Foundation, & Government Support Our season includes 16 ticketed concerts, as well as our highly acclaimed community outreach and youth educational programs such as Bach at Noon and These gifts were pledged or received in our 2019–20 and/or 2020–21 seasons and are gratefully acknowledged. Bach to School. Ticket sales account for less than half of The Choir’s revenue each year, so the support we receive from our donors is very important to our organization. Visit Bach.org or call the development office at 610.866.4382 ext. 113 to donate or to learn more about specific giving opportunities and funds. $50,000 and above $2,500 to $4,999 In Kind Please Give to The Bach Choir! Your donations of any value are greatly appreciated and can make a big difference for The Choir. National Endowment for the Arts Alvin H. Butz Inc. Anne Schauer Design Here are some of the ways that you can support our musicians, our performances, and our programs: General Operating Support, Educational Bach at Noon Season Outreach County of Lehigh Beck Tree Farms, Hamburg BECOME A GUARANTOR! Bach at Noon Allentown Christmas $20,000 to $49,999 The Bach Choir of Bethlehem has been sustained for over a century by our guarantors – donors who choose to make an annual and Douglass Group Merrill Lynch Chocolate Lab Dexter & Dorothy Baker Foundation on-going gift of at least $125 a year ($50 for associate guarantors aged 30 or under) toward the general administrative and artistic Gala Gala Educational Outreach operations of the organization. There are several benefits associated with different guarantee levels. HMK Insurance Christmas City Printing Fowler Family Foundation MAKE A ONE–TIME OR ANNUAL GIFT Bach at Noon Season Educational Outreach Gifts from foundations, corporations, government, and individual donors are an important source of support and are greatly appreciated. Norris McLaughlin P.A. Home Depot Keystone Savings Foundation Annual gifts can be in any amount and are used for daily operations unless designated for a specific program. Bach at Noon Christmas Bach at Noon, General Operating Pharo Family Donor Advised Fund of the RichMar Florist GIVING BACH – OUR VISION FOR TOMORROW Leon and June Holt Memorial Fund Lehigh Valley Community Foundation Christmas, Gala This campaign celebrates Greg Funfgeld’s 38-year tenure and supports The Choir in carrying it’s extraordinary legacy of musical excellence, innovative Christmas, General Operating General Operating Support Working Dog Press education, and community engagement into the future. The Choir aims to raise $1.5 million, including $900,000 for the Endowment and $600,000 Millstream Fund PPL Utilities Season for special projects and general operations by June 2021. To date, we have raised 86% of this goal. General Operating Support Bach to School Endowment or general operating gifts to the campaign can be undesignated or designated for one of the following funds and programs: Presser Foundation Matching Gifts: • Artistic Director & Conductor Fund Christmas, General Operating Support $1,000 to $2,499 Air Products Theo Anderson • Greg Funfgeld Family Concert Fund Raymond-Cryder Donor Advised Fund of the Bennett Automotive Bank of America • The Bel Canto Youth Chorus Fund Lehigh Valley Community Foundation Gala Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation • Recordings, Broadcasts & Technology Fund (includes naming opportunity) – expanding exposure for the music and education Bach to School, Choral Scholars, Bel Canto Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects IBM programs of The Bach Choir through diverse media, including our virtual performances. Youth Chorus Gala, Christmas Johnson & Johnson • Leadership Transition costs as we seek to continue the excellent and visionary artistic and executive leadership of The Choir. The Century Fund CrossAmerica Partners Foundation Merck Bach at Noon Allentown, Bach to School Bach at Noon Novartis DunneManning Olympus $15,000 to $19,999 Bach at Noon Pfizer MEMORIAL OR TRIBUTE GIFTS Air Products Foundation Evonik Corp. QVC A special gift given in memory of loved ones, or given to commemorate a special person or significant life event. Yo-Yo Ma Program European Tour County of Northampton HERITAGE SOCIETY/PLANNED GIVING R.K. Laros Foundation Bach Festival, Christmas Outright endowment gifts of $5,000 or more (cash or appreciated stock) entitle you to membership in the Heritage Society. Planned giving General Operating HYDAC is a way to ensure the financial future for The Choir. All planned gifts are placed in the endowment. Thiel Strategic Communications Christmas Concert, European Tour Gala All gifts of cash or appreciated stock, made by LIFETIME GUARANTEE PA Council on the Arts mail or wire transfer, are gratefully accepted and Pass on your guarantor number and your love of The Choir to a family member or friend. This program allows you to name a beneficiary who General Operating Support Up to $999 are deductible to the fullest extent allowed by will inherit your guarantor number. A lifetime guarantee is $25,000, and it may be paid with various payment plans. Once the gift has been C.F. Martin & Co. law. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is recognized $10,000 to $14,999 established, the donor will not pay a guarantee again. Once the beneficiary inherits the number, the beneficiary will not pay a guarantee. Christmas by the U.S. IRS as a non-profit corporation B Braun Medical Inc. under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Muhlenberg College We Hope That You Will Consider The Bach Choir as You Plan Your Annual Or Long-Term Contributions. Bach at Noon, European Tour Code. The official registration and financial Gala Jephson Educational Trust information of The Choir may be obtained St. Luke’s University Health Network from the PA Department of State by calling Educational Outreach Gala toll-free within Pennsylvania 1-800-732-0999. Make a Donation through Your IRA: An IRA charitable rollover can be an easy and convenient way to make a gift from one of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Working Dog Press your major assets. Contact your financial advisor for advice about how a rollover could benefit you and The Bach Choir. European Tour, General Operating Christmas U Give a Gift through the Donation of Appreciated Stock: Making a gift to The Bach Choir of stocks, bonds or mutual funds $5,000 to $9,999 that have increased in value may provide you with specific tax benefits. Cornerstone Advisors Asset Management LLC Designate The Bach Choir to receive a donation through your company’s Matching Gift program: Many companies offer Christmas

Hub Willson matching gift programs to encourage employees to contribute to charitable organizations. Check with your employer to see if they participate Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley in a matching gift program as a way to increase the impact of your contribution to The Bach Choir. Bach to School Consider a Planned Gift or Charitable Bequest to The Bach Choir: Your legacy gift can have a lasting impact and may be as simple as naming The Bach Choir as a beneficiary in your will, trust, life insurance U policies, retirement plan, or other assets.

Help ensure our legacy of musical excellence, community enrichment, and youth education! Visit Bach.org to make a secure online donation! U 12 13 Trenton/Princeton 89.1 HD Cherry Hill-Philadelphia 89.5 HD2 Toms River, NJ 91.1 HD Cape May, NJ 89.1 Pen Argyl, PA 89.5 Allentown, PA 92.7 Easton, PA 93.1 Harmony Township, NJ 96.9 Hear the Difference! Steamboat Springs, CO 91.1

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89.1 HD2 WWFM | 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550 | 609-587-8989 | www.wwfm.org

14 15 In the spirit of the season…. We are grateful for the generous contributions we have received from these friends of The Bach Choir, which made it possible for us to share the beauty and comfort of the Christmas season with friends and family. MANY CHOICES. REAL VOICES. Thank you to our 2020 Christmas Concert Benefactors!

Celebrating 25 years as the Lehigh Valley’s trusted source for Benefactors NPR News, local public affairs and an eclectic mix of music. Kurt & Kathy Anchorstar Dr. Joy Hirokawa ™ Dr. David & Carol Beckwith John & Betsy Jordan Hal & Alison Black Dr. Janet Loengard Jan & John Bonge Justin McCarthy Breslin Ridyard Fadero Architects Jan C. MacLennan-Kennedy, in memory C.F. Martin & Co. of her mother, Corrine C. Kennedy Charles & Maria Dangelmajer Joan M. Moran – Listen online at WDIY.ORG Ann & John Davis Amaranth Foundation Sheldon Dean Jackie Renner & David Craig Sandra D. Deiter Erika & Matt Petrozelli Cheryl & Charles Dungan & Family Annette & Charlie Thiel Janie Kolb Florenz Mr. & Mrs. James VanArtsdalen Bridget & Bill George Donald & Christine Wertman Phyllis H. Gibson Working Dog Press YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER Jim & Eleanor Harbaugh

Thank you to the Angels, Shepherds, Kings and Stars of Bethlehem who supported to the Bach Choir and to all who have our Christmas Concert, along with the many other individuals who gave a monetary supported the Bethlehem Press. gift to The Bach Choir during this very challenging season. We appreciate your generous spirit and look forward to seeing you at our concerts in 2021.

We wish you and your loved ones peace, health, happiness, and prosperity .com in the coming New Year. 610.740.0944

4 Dear Friends, Gathering to perform this beautiful music and present this virtual concert to you was truly a gift to everyone in The Choir. We hope it inspires you and fills you with the spirit of the season.

We miss seeing our audience, singing for you, and sharing the community that music creates. But we will see you again, and look forward to all the glorious music to come.

For now – we send you our warmest holiday greetings, and hope you have a Christmas season filled with love, peace and comfort.

The Bach Choir of Bethlehem photography byHub Willson BACH.org