For immediate release
BETHLEHEM, PA., April 6, 2018: Today, Moravian College announced that on Tuesday, April 10 at 12:00 p.m. it will confer the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters on Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem at the Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pa. The honorary degree award ceremony for Mr. Funfgeld will take place during the April Bach at Noon concert, which is free and open to the public.
“Speaking on behalf of the entire Moravian College community, we are very honored to confer this honorary degree on Greg Funfgeld,” commented Bryon L. Grigsby, president of Moravian College. “Greg’s contributions to music on the local, national and global stage are well documented and his impact will be felt for years to come through the recordings captured during his exemplary tenure as Artistic Director and Conductor.”
“I am honored by my colleagues and friends at Moravian College – receiving this degree is at once very humbling and inspiring. I like to think that these two iconic organizations, which have been part of the life and culture of our beloved city for centuries, have such similar values, aspirations, commitments, hearts and souls! Both enrich the lives of our citizens and bring light and life to everyone involved.” commented Greg Funfgeld. “All of us associated with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem have been deeply grateful for the support and partnership of so many in the Moravian College community – we are inspired by your students and the excellent music and education offered at Moravian! When CBS SUNDAY MORNING did a profile on The Bach Choir, they noted that the Moravians brought with them (to the new world) a musical heritage as deep and rich as their spiritual heritage. I believe that’s true today and every one of us is a beneficiary of that legacy!”
Mr. Funfgeld is a member of the advisory board of The American Bach Society and has expanded the programs of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem beyond the annual Bach Festival to become a year-round season of 32 concerts and educational programs with an audience of more than 21,000.
Event information:
Greg Funfgeld will play Bach: from the Fifth French Suite in G Major, BWV 816, followed by the conferring of the honorary degree and then continue with the remainder of April Bach at Noon concert.
When: Tuesday, April 10 @ 12:00 p.m.
Where: Central Moravian Church at 73 W. Church Street, Bethlehem, Pa., 18018.
Click here for more information: Bach at Noon Concert.
Media contacts:
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem
Renee James, marketing director, renee@bach.org, 610.866.4382 X 115.
Moravian College
Michael Corr, director of marketing and communications, corrm@moravian.edu, 610.861.1365.
About the Bach Choir
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest American Bach Choir, and gave the first American performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor and the Christmas Oratorio. Since its founding in 1898, the Choir has been attracting thousands of national and international visitors every May to its annual Bethlehem Bach Festival. Under the direction of conductor Greg Funfgeld since 1983, The Choir’s activities have expanded to a year-round season of 35 concerts and educational programs for an audience of more than 20,000; recordings for the Dorian and Analekta labels, films for PBS and Classical Kids, and touring performances including the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany; the BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, London; Carnegie Hall and Trinity Church Wall St, New York City; and the Kennedy Center and Music Center at Strathmore in the Washington D.C. area. Visit bach.org to learn more.
About Moravian College
Moravian College is a private coeducational liberal arts college, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. For more than 275 years, the Moravian College degree has been based on a liberal arts curriculum where literature, history, science, cultural values, global issues, ethics, artistic expression, and the social sciences are infused with multidisciplinary perspectives. Visit Moravian.edu to learn more about how the Moravian College liberal arts curriculum prepares its students for life-long success.
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