Bach Choir Festival celebrates 100 years at Packer Memorial Church

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/events/index.ssf/2012/05/bach_choir_festival_celebrates.html FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES It was with a keen eye to the future that Bethlehem Steel magnate Charles M. Schwab began the legacy of sustainable support in 1912 for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. “Roots of Renewal” is the theme of this year’s Bach Choir Festival, along with a centennial celebration of the organization’s guarantor (donor support) system, as well as annual concerts held at Packer Memorial Chapel on the Lehigh University campus. The festival has a variety of concerts and events scheduled throughout its duration this weekend and May 11 and 12. “He (Charles Schwab) was a great benefactor to the fledgling Bach Choir of Bethlehem, and knew that in order for it to survive and thrive, that such a system of financial support would be necessary,” says Greg Funfgeld, Bach Choir artistic director and conductor. It was also in 1912 that the Bach Choir performed its first festival inside Packer Memorial Chapel.