Bethlehem, Pa., September 23, 2014—The fourth Bethlehem Conference on Moravian History and Music will take place October 2-5 on the campuses of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary. Scholars, musicians and Moravian enthusiasts will convene in downtown Bethlehem to explore the latest research on a wide range of topics related to Moravian history and music from the fifteenth to twentieth centuries through lectures, concerts, art, food, and drinks. The art theme of this year's conference is "War and Peace and the Moravians," which coincides with the College's IN FOCUS theme of 2013-2014.
Activities and registration will begin on Thursday, October 2 with a reception in the Moravian Archives followed by two special panels that will focus on "Jon Hughes and his legacy" as well as "Music and Technology."
Other special lectures include the Walter Vivian Moses Lecture in Moravian Studies on Thursday by Jørgen Bøytler from the Moravian Church's Unity Board on the topic of "Unity in diversity, Challenges to the Worldwide Moravian Unity," as well as the 157th annual lecture of Moravian History which will take place on Sunday afternoon by Katherine Faull from Bucknell University and she will discuss the topic of "Visualizing History: the (Hidden) Work of Moravian Women Missionaries in Colonial Pennsylvania."
There will be two keynote lectures given; the first lecture by Sarah Eyerly, Florida State University, will take place on Friday, and she will present her lecture on "How the Moravians Sang Away the Wilderness." The second keynote lecture will be on Saturday and is to be delivered by Aaron Fogleman of Northern Illinois University on the topic of "A Woman, her Husband, and the Moravians in the Eighteenth Century Atlantic World."
The featured performances include a concert by Jewel Smith, Tami Morris, Martha Schrempel, and Sarah Eyerly about the effect of the Civil War on Moravian young women, Nola Reed Knouse performing,"Storm in the Land: Southern Moravians in the Civil War," and lastly The Lititz Anthems of Johannes Herbst: A Sincere Compositional Voice Revealed in Score, Sound and Expression. There will be other events such as historic beer tasting as well as a presentation of the David A. Schattschneider Award of Merit.
Conference registration for all four days is $100, and $90 for Students. It is free for students that attend Moravian College and Theological Seminary. Visit the conference website for a full conference program and to register: www.moravianconferences.org.
The conference is sponsored by Moravian College, Moravian Archives, the Center for Moravian Studies, and the Research Center for Social and Cultural Studies in Gotha, University of Erfurt, Germany, in partnership with the Moravian Music Foundation, Moravian Historical Society, Moravian Theological Seminary, and Historic Bethlehem Partnership. For more information, contact Lanie Graf at 610 866-3225 or lanie@moravianchurcharchives.org.
Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Anyone who anticipates needing any type of accommodation or who has questions about the physical access provided should contact Michael Wilson at wilson@moravian.edu or or 610-861-1365 prior to the event.
Moravian College is a private coeducational liberal arts college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, that is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, Moravian is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college and the first to educate women. The College emphasizes the deliberate integration of a broad-based liberal arts curriculum with hands-on learning experiences to prepare its 1,600 students, not just for jobs, but for successful careers. Moravian College excels at transforming good students into highly competent graduates who are ready to enter the workplace with confidence or shine in graduate school. Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu.