The Bach Choir of Bethlehem The Bach Festival Orchestra Greg Funfgeld, conductor / chef Julia Doyle, soprano The Bertha-Mae Starner Endowed Chair Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano The Shirley J. Wotring Endowed Chair Daniel Taylor, countertenor / contre-ténor The Mrs. Robert S. Taylor Endowed Chair Benjamin Butterfield, tenor / ténor The Leonard & Sandra Ashford Endowed Chair Daniel Lichti, bass-baritone / baryton-basse The Bill & Ursie Fairbairn Endowed Chair Instrumental Soloists Robin Kani and Linda Ganus, flutes / flûtes Mary Watt and Cheryl Bishkoff, hautbois / oboes Continuo Loretta O’Sullivan, cello / violoncelle Stephen Groat, double bass / contrebasse Charles Holdeman, bassoon / basson Charlotte Mattax Moersch, portativ organ / orgue portatif Thomas Goeman, organ / orgue 3 The Bach Choir of Bethlehem The oldest American Bach Choir, The Bach Choir documentary on the Choir, Make a Joyful Noise. of Bethlehem gave the first complete American In addition to the annual Bethlehem Bach performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor in 1900 Festival, the concert season in Bethlehem and Christmas Oratorio in 1901. Since its founding includes Christmas and Spring Concerts; a Family in 1898, the now-famous Choir has been attracting Concert; Bach at Noon–a series of free concerts in thousands of visitors from across the United the historic Central Moravian Church; and Bach States and beyond to the annual Bethlehem Bach to School, an outstanding educational outreach Festival in Pennsylvania. Since 1983, under Greg program that has now been presented to more Funfgeld’s passionate and experienced direction, than 75,000 children. Mr. Bach Comes to Call, the 100 dedicated volunteer singers of The Bach a film based on the acclaimed Classical Kids CD, Choir of Bethlehem, performing with the Bach was produced by The Bach Choir of Bethlehem Festival Orchestra and distinguished soloists, in collaboration with Touchstone Theatre and have received international acclaim. Venues have GreenTreks Network in 2007. It has been broadcast included the Herkulessaal at Munich’s Royal nationally on PBS and is distributed internationally Residence and the Thomaskirche, Bach’s church by The Children’s Group. in Leipzig, as part of the 1995 Germany tour; the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall as part Greg Funfgeld, of The Choir’s Centennial Celebration in 1999-2000; Artistic Director and Conductor a performance for the BBC Proms in London’s Greg Funfgeld has been artistic director and con- Royal Albert Hall as part of an eight-concert tour ductor of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem since of the United Kingdom in 2003; and a perform- 1983. He has expanded the programs of The Bach ance as part of the 75th anniversary of the Choir beyond the annual Bach Festival to become Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival in Severance Hall, a year-round season of 31 concerts and educa- Cleveland, in 2007. tional programs with an audience of more than 20,000. Mr. Funfgeld led The Choir on two major The Choir has released five recordings of Bach concert tours, to Germany in 1995 and the United works, in addition to the popular four-volume Kingdom in 2003. He also directed The Choir's Christmas in Bethlehem. This recording is the Centennial performances at the Kennedy Center Choir’s first for Analekta, Canada’s premiere and Carnegie Hall. Commissioned works during classical recording company. The Choir has been Mr. Funfgeld’s tenure have included Libby Larsen’s featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Cantata I It Am–The Shewings of Julian of Today and Prairie Home Companion, Deutsche Norwich, co-commissioned with the BBC Proms, Radio, the BBC World Service, CBS Sunday and Stephen Paulus’ A Dream of Time, commis- Morning, and the Emmy award-winning PBS sioned in honor of Funfgeld’s 25th anniversary with 4 The Bach Choir. Under Mr. Funfgeld’s leadership, Enlightenment) and Cadogan Hall (The King’s The Choir has released five recordings of major Consort); Handel and Bach arias at Wigmore Hall; works by Bach as well as the popular four-volume Bach’s Saint John Passion and Magnificat at Christmas in Bethlehem. Media projects have venues throughout Europe including the included the Emmy award-winning PBS documen- Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, and Verona and Pisa tary on The Bach Choir, Make a Joyful Noise, and Cathedrals; Purcell’s The Fairy Queen in Salzburg’s a film version of Classical Kids’ award-winning CD Mozarteum; Mass in B Minor with the Northern Mr. Bach Comes to Call that aired nation-wide Sinfonia in DeSingel Concert Hall, Antwerp, on PBS. Mr. Funfgeld is a member of the advisory and at St. John’s, Smith Square, London (Purcell board of The American Bach Society. He also serves Singers); Mozart’s Mass in C Minor in Southwark as the director of music at First Presbyterian Cathedral (London Handel Orchestra); Purcell’s Church of Bethlehem. He is a 1976 graduate of Dido and Aeneas at Wigmore Hall; and a highly Westminster Choir College, where he studied acclaimed recording of Lutoslawski’s Dwadziescia under Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt. In 1986, he received Koled (BBC Symphony Orchestra). Future perfor- the Alumni Merit Award for excellence in musical mances include Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms; performance. In 2007, Mr. Funfgeld was awarded Geoffrey Bush’s Christmas Cantata and Ariel an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Ramirez’ Navidad Nuestra in St. Machar’s Lehigh University in recognition of his musical Cathedral with the Aberdeen Bach Choir; accomplishments locally, nationally, and interna- Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 at The Bridgewater tionally. Hall; a tour of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion in the Netherlands; and two European tours of Julia Doyle, soprano Handel’s Israel in Egypt. Julia Doyle was born in the North of England, and earned a choral scholarship to Cambridge Rosa Lamoreaux, soprano University before pursuing a career in singing. Rosa Lamoreaux is an award-winning vocalist Ms. Doyle is fast establishing a reputation as with a busy international career and is known for a soloist, specializing in the Renaissance and her “wonderfully rich timbre and an amazingly Baroque periods, both in the UK and across flexible voice” (Washington Post). She is regularly Europe, and enjoying a career as a soloist and featured at the Bethlehem Bach Festival and ensemble singer with many of Europe’s most is recognized for her beautifully styled readings distinguished conductors and ensembles. Recent of repertoire from Hildegard von Bingen to highlights include Handel’s Messiah at Symphony Shostakovich. After winning the Handel Aria Hall, Birmingham (Orchestra of the Age of Competition at the Aspen Music Festival, her 5 career has taken her to Carnegie Hall, the ensembles, appearing in opera (Metropolitan Kennedy Center, and in Europe to the BBC Proms Opera, Glyndebourne, San Francisco, Rome, in Royal Albert Hall with The Bach Choir of Welsh National Opera, Canadian Opera, and Bethlehem, the Carmel Bach Festival, Rheingau Munich), oratorio (Gabrieli Consort, Monteverdi Music Festival, and La Fenice Chamber Music Choir/English Baroque Soloists, Bach Collegium Festival. A popular chamber music performer, Japan, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Les Arts she sings with the Folger Consort, ArcoVoce, and Florissants, Berlin Akademie für Alte Musik, Hesperus, and has toured with Musicians from Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy Marlboro. In 2007, Ms. Lamoreaux appeared with of Ancient Music), symphonic works (Cleveland, the Folger Consort, singing excerpts from Purcell’s Philadelphia, Toronto, Rotterdam, Montreal), The Fairy Queen in a collaboration with Derek recital (Vienna Konzerthaus; Forbidden Concert Jacoby and Lynn Redgrave reading from Hall, Beijing; and Wigmore Hall, London), and film A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also in 2007, (Podeswa’s Five Senses for Fineline-winner at she performed a review of the music of Ivor Cannes). Taylor is the founder and artistic director Novello at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London. of the Theatre of Early Music, a period instrument Among her many recordings, her newest CD ensemble based in Montreal comprised of musi- is Montmartre Cabaret I–a recital designed for cians from all over the world. He is also artistic the Exhibit of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec at the director of the Music Festival at St. Sauveur and a National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. She visiting professor at McGill University. Taylor has enjoys teaching and has given master-classes made more than 65 recordings, including Bach for such institutions as Princeton University, Cantatas with English Baroque Soloists, Bach Michigan State, and the Smithsonian Institution. Collegium of Japan, and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Daniel Taylor, countertenor Daniel Taylor is one of the most sought-after Benjamin Butterfield, tenor countertenors in the world and recognized as Benjamin Butterfield has been described as a “Canada’s star countertenor.” His debut at “musically arresting presence” by the San Glyndebourne in Handel’s Theodora was greeted Francisco Chronicle. His stage appearances with critical praise and followed on his operatic include performances with Il Teatro di San Carlo debut in Jonathan Miller’s production of Handel’s in Naples, Welsh National Opera, the Canadian Giulio Cesare at the Metropolitan Opera. He Opera Company, New York City Opera, receives invitations from an ever-widening circle of Glimmerglass Opera Festival, and Canterbury the world’s leading early and contemporary music Opera in New Zealand. In concert he has 6 appeared in Britten’s War Requiem with the formed at Teatro dell’ Opera di Roma, L’Opéra de London Symphony Chorus and the State Montréal, and Toronto’s Opera in Concert. Recent Orchestra of Thessaloniki, and in the Saint highlights have included Beethoven’s Ninth Matthew Passion with the Philharmonia Baroque Symphony at the Feria de las Artes Sinaloa Orchestra. He has toured throughout Europe with in Mexico, a recital of Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert, the RIAS Liederbuch, John Estacio’s The Houses Stand Kammerchor of Berlin, and Les Musiciens du Not Far Apart with the Grand Philharmonic Choir, Louvre.