Bethlehem Bach Festival

Overview

One Festival. Four Days. Unforgettable music. May 7-10, 2026

2025 information:

We are thrilled to launch our new Festival experience, now transformed into one unforgettable four-day weekend. This year’s programming kicks off on Thursday, and the music continues Friday and Saturday with our traditional lineup. Festivities conclude on Sunday in the heart of the newly inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site across the grounds of the Moravian Church Settlements – Bethlehem. Join us for this special immersive musical experience as we celebrate Bach’s music and influence, renew old friendships, and forge new bonds!

Performances:

• May 8: 117th Bethlehem Bach Festival Opening: Outside the Bachs
• May 9:
  • Bach at 4
  • Bach at 8
• May 10:
  • Ifor Jones Memorial Chamber Music Concert
• May 11: Mass in B Minor

New Programming
This year marks the launch of our innovative Outside the Bachs series, featuring flamenco dancer Fanny Are, guitarist William Coulter, and violinist Edwin Huizinga of Fire & Grace. Blending classical, folk, and contemporary traditions, this interdisciplinary program explores Bach’s legacy through bold, unexpected lenses. For those seeking deeper insight into Bach’s sacred music, Dr. Daniel R. Melamed offers our new Cantata in Context program – a guided journey through Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, exploring its layered meanings through repeated performance and discussion.

Festival Favorites
At the heart of the Festival, the beloved Mass in B Minor anchors Saturday afternoon’s performance at Packer Memorial Church – a tradition spanning more than a century. Join Festival Artist-in-Residence Rachell Ellen Wong and concert master Elizabeth Field on Friday afternoon in a journey into the world of virtuosic string playing at the acoustically exquisite Incarnation of Our Lord Church for Bach at 4. Immerse yourself in the exceptional power of the Bach Festival Orchestra, the Bach Choir, soloists, and the Artist-in-Residence as they join forces for Bach at 8 on Friday evening. End your weekend on a high note with Chamber Music in the Saal Saturday morning with a delightful concert featuring Andrew Gonzalez playing the rare violoncello da spalla.

Artist-in-Residence
Recipient of a prestigious 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant – the only baroque artist in the respected program’s history – and Grand Prize winner of the inaugural Lillian and Maurice Barbash J.S. Bach Competition, violinist Rachell Ellen Wong is a star on both the modern and historical performance violin stages. She is a sought-after collaborator, and her reputation as one of the top historical performers of her generation has resulted in appearances with such respected ensembles as The Academy of Ancient Music, Bach Collegium Japan, Les Arts Florissants, and others. In 2020, she made her conducting debut leading Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the Seattle Symphony. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Rachell performs on a baroque violin from the school of Joachim Tielke, and on a modern violin by Carlo de March. For more information, please visit www.rachellwong.com.

Soloists
Returning Festival favorites include tenor Dann Coakwell, celebrated for his role as Evangelist on our St. Matthew Passion recording, mezzo-soprano Meg Bragle, and soprano Sherezade Panthaki. We also welcome bass-baritone Jonathan Woody in his Festival debut.

Bach Festival Tickets

Single tickets for individual concerts are on sale now. Call 610-866-4382 for tickets or buy online at bach.org.