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‘A new era in global golf’: European Tour to be renamed DP World Tour

• Dubai company will assume title sponsorship in 2022
• Prize fund from next year will exceed $200m

The collective will of golf’s establishment to swat aside challenges by Saudi Arabia means the European Tour will be renamed from the start of next year. DP World, the Dubai-based logistics company, will take on title sponsorship of the tour, with prize funds to increase as a direct result. The European Tour, formed in 1972, will keep its name as an overarching corporate entity only.

Saudi Arabia’s manoeuvres in the professional game have met staunch resistance from the European and PGA Tours, who are now in strategic alliance. Greg Norman was recently confirmed as the public face of a Saudi-based series of 10 events on the Asian Tour. The Saudis have long-held aspirations of a golf super league but, as yet, have no formal buy-in from leading players.

The DP World Tour will lead to prize funds – including major championships and World Golf Championships – totalling more than $200m (£147m) for the first time. Tournaments solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour must have a minimum purse of $2m.

Next year will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries, including new events in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Africa and Belgium. Neither the European Tour nor DP World would detail the length of their partnership or its total monetary value but it is understood the latter runs into hundreds of millions of dollars.

“This announcement is momentous and will herald a new era in global golf,” said Keith Pelley, the European Tour’s chief executive. “When I joined [in 2016] I told the board I felt the name of the tour was a misnomer and did not reflect our brand. We are definitely a world tour.

“The DP World Tour is a natural evolution of our decade-long partnership, and the presence of ‘world’ in our new title better reflects our global reach. We will always remember our heritage and those who have gone before us who helped us shape our tour but we also rejoice in our global footprint.”

Pelley refused to reference directly the Saudi/Asian Tour alliance. However, this will inevitably be viewed as the further closing of ranks by the PGA and European Tours.

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Rory McIlroy, speaking via video conference to a media event held in Dubai , branded the deal “great news for global golf”. The four-times major winner has previously spoken out against Saudi plans for his sport.

Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, said: “I’ve said before that our respective tours are positioned to grow – together – over the next 10 years faster than we ever have at any point in our existence and today’s announcement is another point of proof in those efforts.”

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European Tour agrees DP World title sponsorship

Long-term partnership sees golf tour's total prize fund surpass us$200m..

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All tournaments solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour will have a minimum prize fund of US$2 million, with at least 47 events scheduled in 27 different countries.

For the first time three tournaments will be co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour as part of the strategic alliance signed between the two organisations last year .

The lucrative Rolex Series expands from four tournaments to five with the addition of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, while the season-ending DP World Tour Championship features a prize fund of US$10 million – the first regular European Tour event with an eight-figure purse.

• Saudi PIF backs Asian Tour with US$200m investment

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said : “Today’s announcement is undoubtedly a momentous one in the proud history of our tour.

“The launch of the DP World Tour in 2022, coinciding with both of our 50th anniversaries, will herald a new era in global golf, and crucially it will benefit everybody involved – all our players, caddies, fans and partners – as well as making an important contribution to wider society.

“The entire ecosystem of our Tour will be strengthened because of this hugely significant deal, and that was essential to us and to DP World, who have been an incredible supporter of our Tour as well as golf more widely, from grassroots through to the elite professional game.

“The DP World Tour is, therefore, a natural evolution of our decade-long partnership, and the presence of ‘World’ in our new title better reflects our global reach.”

The new deal will inevitably be seen as part of a response to the threat posed by potential rival circuits, with former world number one Greg Norman fronting a series of Saudi-backed tournaments on the Asian Tour and the Premier Golf League hoping to become involved with the PGA Tour.

Dubai-based DP World is one of the world’s biggest logistics companies and first became involved with the European Tour in 2009 when the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai, culminating in the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.

The event was renamed the DP World Tour Championship in 2012, when Rory McIlroy claimed the title and the Race to Dubai for the first time.

European Tour to be renamed ‘DP World Tour’ in 2022 as new tournaments and increased prize funds announced

12.08pm 9th November 2021 - Sponsorship & Events

The European Tour and DP World today jointly announced a ground-breaking evolution to their long-term partnership, with DP World becoming the new title sponsor of the group’s main tour from the start of the 2022 season. 

The agreement heralds a new era in the history of the European Tour, which, along with DP World, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022, the first season of the newly named DP World Tour. The European Tour will keep its name as an overarching corporate entity only.

The new-look DP World Tour will see total prize money break through the $200 million mark for the first time (including WGC events and Major championships) with a new minimum prize fund of $2 million for all tournaments solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour.

In 2022, the DP World Tour will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries, including new tournaments in the UAE, Japan, South Africa and Belgium and an expanded Rolex Series comprising five events: the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

For the first time, it will also feature three tournaments co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR – the aforementioned Genesis Scottish Open, as well as the Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship taking place in the United States.

DP World’s association with the European Tour spans more than a decade, first becoming a presenting partner of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates in its inaugural year in 2009, before the Rolex Series event was renamed the DP World Tour Championship in 2012. It was in this year that DP World became the tournament’s title partner.

DP World then became an Official Partner of the European Tour in 2015, and they will now become the Official Title Partner of the Tour from the start of the 2022 season, which begins with the Joburg Open in South Africa, from November 22-25.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour group, said: “Today’s announcement is undoubtedly a momentous one in the proud history of our Tour. The launch of the DP World Tour in 2022, coinciding with both of our 50th anniversaries, will herald a new era in global golf, and crucially it will benefit everybody involved – all our players, caddies, fans and partners – as well as making an important contribution to wider society. “The entire ecosystem of our Tour will be strengthened because of this hugely significant deal, and that was essential to us and to DP World, who have been an incredible supporter of our Tour as well as golf more widely, from grassroots through to the elite professional game. The DP World Tour is, therefore, a natural evolution of our decade-long partnership, and the presence of ‘World’ in our new title better reflects our global reach.” Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “DP World has been a partner of the European Tour for over a decade. Our long-standing partnership has provided an excellent platform to engage with customers, prospects, and stakeholders, and build our brand. We have relished the opportunity to support the Tour in growing the game of golf and improving access to the sport at all levels. The key to this success has been and will continue to be the shared vision and values that underpin the partnership. “We both have a global mindset, are committed to inclusivity, and invest in new technologies to stay competitive – attributes which today become the fundamental principles of the DP World Tour. As the leading provider of smart logistics solutions worldwide, we will use our people, assets, and connectivity to help grow the Tour further and change what’s possible in golf.” Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR and Board Member of the European Tour, added; “Thanks to the support of long-standing partner DP World, today’s announcement significantly elevates the European Tour on a global basis. We are excited for the continued growth and evolution of the European Tour, as well as the momentum this provides toward our Strategic Alliance. I’ve said before that our respective Tours are positioned to grow – together – over the next 10 years faster than we ever have at any point in our existence, and today’s announcement is another point of proof in those efforts.”

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European Tour rebranding to DP World Tour, doubling prize money starting in 2022

• Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- After 50 years, the European Tour by name is no more.

Starting in 2022, it will be rebranded as the DP World Tour in a deal that is set to double the total prize money to more than $200 million.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said the title change better reflects the global nature of the tour.

On the 2022 schedule, only 23 of the 47 events will be staged on European soil.

"In many ways, it's a misnomer," Pelley said of the European Tour's current title. "We are definitely a world tour."

"We will always remember our heritage," Pelley added, "and those who have gone before us who helped us shape our tour ... but we also rejoice in our global footprint."

Pelley said there will be a minimum prize fund of $2 million for each tournament and prize money of "north of $200 million" for the season, compared to $104 million in 2021 and $70 million in 2020.

The deal is a huge boost to the finances of the European Tour that were badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, causing a shutdown of the tour for three months beginning in March 2020.

The European Tour nearly a year ago announced a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour after one of the proposed new leagues had offered to take over Europe. The Scottish Open is now part of the PGA Tour, while European members have access to two U.S. tour events. More collaboration is possible in the fall months.

Meanwhile, Greg Norman is leading a new company called LIV Golf Investments, backed by Saudi Arabia's public investment fund, which is putting $200 million into 10 new tournaments on the Asian Tour. Those events and where they are played have not been announced.

The new tournaments do not include the Saudi International, which is no longer part of the European Tour schedule after three years ago and since signed a deal with the Asian Tour.

In a video message, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy said the deal was "great news for global golf."

Tommy Fleetwood, who was the Race to Dubai champion in 2017, said it provided "stability" and "excitement" to golfers on the tour.

DP World, a Dubai-based logistics company, has sponsored the season-ending event on the European Tour, which has been held in Dubai since 2009 and called "The Race to Dubai." It was previously the "Order of Merit."

The European Tour was founded in 1972, but events have been increasingly held outside the continent in recent years, with many of the biggest now staged in the Middle East.

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European Tour announces multi-year sponsorship deal with Cazoo

The Cazoo Open at Celtic Manor, and Cazoo Classic at the London Club will be the new names for two tournaments on the European Tour's UK Swing in July and August as part of a new sponsorship deal.

By Keith Jackson

Tuesday 8 June 2021 15:34, UK

The European Tour has announced that Cazoo will be the title sponsors for two events on the UK Swing in July and August.

The online car retailer has stamped its brand on the Cazoo Open and the Cazoo Classic as part of a multi-year deal with the Tour.

The Welsh Open now becomes the Cazoo Open and will take place at 2010 Ryder Cup venue Celtic Manor from July 22-25, with the Cazoo Classic replacing the English Open at the London Club in August.

A European Tour statement read: "Cazoo will have exclusive naming rights across both tournaments and the deal includes significant on-course and off-course branding to include tee boxes and markers, greenside boards, par and yardage boards as well as caddy bibs and branding at other European Tour events.

"This latest deal adds to Cazoo's impressive portfolio as one of the UK's most active sports sponsors that now includes football (Everton, Aston Villa and the EFL), cricket (The Hundred), rugby (Welsh Rugby Union & 2021 Rugby League World Cup), horseracing (Epsom Derby) and snooker (World Snooker Tour).

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"Cazoo is pioneering the shift to online car buying and, since being founded in 2018, has sold over 25,000 cars to consumers across the UK who have embraced the selection, transparency and convenience of buying quality used cars entirely online."

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Cazoo founder and CEO, Alex Chesterman OBE, said: "We're delighted to be partnering with the UK leg of the European Tour and adding golf to our growing portfolio of sports sponsorships.

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"This deal gives us exposure to a new audience of golf fans and we look forward to engaging with them and introducing them to the best car buying experience in the UK."

Guy Kinnings, deputy CEO for the European Tour, Ryder Cup director and chief commercial officer said: "We are delighted to welcome Cazoo into the European Tour's commercial family for the first time and are very pleased that Alex and his team have added golf to their impressive portfolio of sports sponsorships."

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Golf’s European Tour to become DP World Tour after $1BILLION deal with Dubai company to hike prize money

• David Facey
• Published : 2:58 ET, Nov 10 2021
• Updated : 5:48 ET, Nov 10 2021
• Published : Invalid Date,

GOLF’S European Tour has agreed a $1BILLION deal to spark a massive hike in prize money — and consign its name to history.

From next year it will be renamed the DP World Tour, as a nod to the huge investment the Dubai company will make in the sport on this side of the Atlantic.

The most eye-catching move sees every event on the tour now offering a minimum prize fund of $2million.

This year, 21 out of 40 European Tour events fell short of that figure, while seven offered barely half of it.

DP World were already the Tour’s biggest paymasters.

They sponsor next week’s $9m Tour Championship, the climax of the season-long Race to Dubai , as well as supplying a $5m bonus pot.

Tour chief executive Keith Pelley refused to reveal the exact financial details of the new arrangement. But it is believed to be worth at least $50m a year for ten years, with an option for another ten.

The total prize money for the 47 tournaments on the first DP World Tour schedule next year will break the $200m barrier for the first time.

Pelley said: “When I was appointed in 2015 I expressed the view that calling ourselves the European Tour was already a misnomer.

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“We are a truly global tour and 24 of our 47 events next year will be outside Europe.

“With the tour and DP World celebrating 50th anniversaries next year, this seems the perfect time to make the change and take golf into an exciting and rewarding new era.”

Tommy Fleetwood was among those to welcome the announcement in Dubai.

The English star said: “There can never have been a better time for a young golfer to dream of playing on our tour.”

Beginning on 25 November with the first round of the Joburg Open, the 2022 DP World Tour will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries.

These will include new tournaments in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Africa and Belgium, as well as an expanded Rolex Series comprising five events -- the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, Genesis Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

For the first time, three tournaments will be co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour -- the Genesis Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship.

This partnership is a bid to stave off attempts to set up breakaway golf tours by interested companies.

Asian Swing: What is at stake ahead of final two events in Japan and China? 

With two events remaining on the Asian Swing and a host of big incentives on the line, there is plenty to play for as the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai continues.

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What is the DP World Tour?

The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group. 

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Everything you need to know about the Race to Dubai on the DP World Tour. 

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The Bach Choir of Bethlehem

America's oldest bach choir, bachfest leipzig: the bach choir’s european tour, join us in june 2024 as we bring the bach choir to bachfest and onto the world stage.

We are honored that The Bach Choir is one of 18 Bach choirs on six continents invited to give a featured performance of Bach cantatas in the Thomaskirche, the church in Leipzig where Bach was the cantor from 1723–1750 and is buried. Around the BachFest invitation, we have built a tour in Germany and Austria with additional performances in Herrnhut (birthplace of the Moravian Church), Potsdam, and Schwäbisch-Gmünd (Bethlehem’s Sister City). This is our first international tour since 2003, and The Choir has not performed in Germany since 1995. The Choir will broaden its audience, gain increased international recognition, receive irreplaceable musical inspiration, and build unforgettable memories and friendships with world-wide Bach organizations.

“OUR INVITATION to perform at BachFest in Leipzig and to have our concert featured in the eminent Thomaskirche is a singular honor. We want to share the adventure with you! Come celebrate momentous concerts with us, tour historic and culturally important cities, and create your own cherished memories. We hope you can join us!”

– Christopher Jackson Artistic Director & Conducto r

Vocal soloists and principals of the Bach Festival Orchestra traveling with The Choir under Christopher Jackson’s direction include: • Nola Richardson, soprano • Janna Critz, mezzo-soprano • Lawrence Jones, tenor • Edmund Milly, bass • Elizabeth Field, violin • Claire Bright, violin • Nina Falk, viola • Loretta O’Sullivan, cello • Daniel McDougall, bass • Charlotte Mattax-Moersch, organ • Thomas Goeman, keyboards

Bach’s Glorious Music in FIVE Spectacular Settings

Concert in Nikolaikirche Potsdam – 5pm 8th June | Berlin/Potsdam Free Will Donations gratefully accepted

Concert in the Thomaskirche – 5pm 10th June |  Leipzig – Bachfest Click HERE for ticketing and event information

Singstunde in the Moravian Church – 2pm 11th June | Herrnhut Open to the Public

Concert in the Heilig-Kreuz-Münster – 7pm 13th June | Schwäbisch-Gmünd Free Will Donations gratefully accepted

Concert in the Salzburg Cathedral – 6:30pm 15th June | Salzburg Free Will Donations gratefully accepted

Support the Tour: Become a Sponsor!

Make the bach choir’s 2024 european tour a reality.

The total cost of the European Tour is $270,000. Your gift will help meet these expenses. With our deepest thanks, your name will be listed prominently in the European Tour concert program and other Bach Choir programs stateside.

TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITIES, please call 610-866-4382 and talk to: • Leela Breithaupt, Executive Director, ext. 111, [email protected] • Cheryl Dungan, Development Officer, ext. 113, [email protected]

TO BECOME A EUROPEAN TOUR SPONSOR, please complete the form on the other side of this brochure and mail it to: European Tour, The Bach Choir of Bethlehem 440 Heckewelder Place • Bethlehem, PA 18018 The Bach Choir counts on your support to launch this important endeavor. Please read on for specific information about concerts and venues and becoming a “Tagalong”!

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"From anguish to elation, and just about everything in between, pretty much describes the vast emotional landscape covered in Friday evening’s concert at Packer Memorial Church presented by the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Splendid musicianship, rousing choruses, and the sublime voices of the soloists turned grief into joy and sorrow into triumph."

"The oft-quoted phrase 'a drumroll, please' aptly applies to the opening of Rutter’s exultant Gloria , which provided a dramatic finale to the program. What a thrill to hear those punchy, syncopated brass lines accompanying some really polished and vibrant singing. The “Domine Deus” section sported some lovely soprano voices in addition to many demanding, multi-part choruses –— some with up to eight parts. There was a miraculous blend of tone and balance throughout."

"The performance was one of integrity, movement, passion and weight. The effortless virtuosity and stylistic homogeneity of the combined forces in the chapel's stone sanctity, allowed Bach's music to sing out with infectious, exhilarating enthusiasm."

"The audience was thrilled by this outstanding performance of a Bach Cantata by seasoned experts immersed in the composer and informed by Greg Funfgeld's wisdom and enthusiasm...The Bachs [J.S.B and C.P.E] could not have been better served, not to mention two English Renaissances, as well as our own time. It went beyond mere intelligent programming and committed performance, enriched by a deep sense of the mutual nourishment of music and faith."

"Nestled in the Pennsylvania countryside, on and around the bucolic campus of Lehigh University, the Bethlehem Bach Festival, under the artistic direction of conductor Greg Funfgeld, is in its 108th season and going strong. If it has flaws, they are like those that distinguish a fine emerald from the perfect clarity of a fake...their choral sonority is so rich you can feel it in your bones."

"Two days later I am Newark bound again, with a head full of the history of a town I previously had no awareness of, and with a heart full of the music of Bach, presented in a context that felt less like a festival than a glorious friendship between a great composer and the orchestra, conductor and choir at the heart of an extraordinary town."

"The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, founded in the 19th century, has gained international recognition through its annual Bach Festival, tours and recordings. The more than 100 vocalists displayed clean tone, excellent pitch and blend, and kept good tempo even in the most stressful numbers…outstanding, energetic and crisp. The orchestra was a collection of top freelancers from around the Eastern Seaboard including several from Washington… baritone Dashon Burton, was the standout. He has a clarion instrument that projects well throughout his range…a splendid dramatic performance. Soprano Rosa Lamoreaux was also excellent, expertly modulating her silvery tone for the various roles she took…This was the choir’s big night, though, and it gave great pleasure…”

“A handsome account of Bach’s St. John Passion on this new release confirms that the Bach Choir of Bethlehem doesn’t rest on anything resembling laurels. Greg Funfgeld has trained his singers to articulate words crisply, dance lightly when the music must move and blend elegantly. Funfgeld brings a sure sense of phrasing, texture and pacing to the narrative, and the Bach Festival Orchestra—mostly modern instruments, with viola da gamba, violas d’amore and portative organ supplying period flavors—are cohesive and nimble. Charles Daniels stands out as a poetic and powerful Evangelist, William Sharp as a warmly inflected Jesus and Julia Doyle as a shining champion of the soprano arias.”

“The Bach Choir of Bethlehem sang a Brahms motet (“Lass Dich Nur Nichts”) with all the polish and fervor it brought to cantatas by its namesake.”

“..inspired program of hope, optimism and comfort …disarmingly powerful…overflows with jubilation”

“America’s venerable Bach Choir of Bethlehem makes its Analekta debut on a disc brimming-over with festive D major trumpets-and-drums brilliance…Julia Doyle and Daniel Taylor heading up a distinguished solo line-up.”

“Conductor Greg Funfgeld coaxed a lovely rich chamber orchestra sound from the Bach Festival Orchestra strings...The hauntingly beautiful voices of Taylor and Zsigovics—she in her festival debut—melted together like two precious metals, hers of bell-like clarity, his a more complex alchemy, with a sheen like liquid mercury.”

“As I listen to The Bach Choir of Bethlehem with Greg Funfgeld conducting…I find it hard to believe this is an all-volunteer choir but it’s true…a well polished vocal ensemble, and a true level of musicianship and understanding of the choral music of Bach.”

“…an American musical treasure… they sing with a fervor and a level of musicianship that carries one away—from bass to soprano, the supple strength and solidly integrated tone of this amateur choir reflects the most admirable qualities of the European-American tradition of choral song.”

“By all accounts the chorus remains as vital an institution as ever…The B-Minor Mass performance was rousing, committed and touching…Bach’s ‘St. Matthew Passion’ too was ardently and lovingly performed…”

“This is Bach at its finest. The conductor, orchestra, soloists, and chorus are eminently capable of the nuances of the rich harmonic texts …spirited and vivacious…It is not likely to get any better than this on this side of the Atlantic.”

“America’s venerable Bach Choir of Bethlehem sang Bach and Mendelssohn with good-natured and ruddy-cheeked elation. And their centerpiece was a BBC/Bach Choir co-commission, the world premiere of Libby Larsen’s I It Am, a jubilant cantata based on the writings of Julian of Norwich…this highly coloured and disarmingly unsophisticated work came from, and went straight to, the heart.”

“The Bach Choir of Bethlehem…had their audience enthralled…The choir knows and loves this work – and it shows…transatlantic magic.”

“Nearly one hundred strong, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem tempers its power and energy with the intimacy of a much smaller group. It also blends seamlessly with the excellent modern-instrument Festival orchestra which Greg Funfgeld conducts with an obvious knowledge of, and sensitivity to, modern performance practice.”

“…the Choir and Festival Orchestra, under their director, Greg Funfgeld, perform these three cantatas beautifully and convincingly. The work of the soloists is excellent, too…Excitement, dedication, power—all things that we hear more and more seldom in Bach cantatas—lend distinction to this beautiful and well-produced recording.”

“Sheer jubilance…exceptional elegance and grace…radiant performance…Having heard the Bethlehem Bach Choir pour its heart into the master’s vocal music, one will never listen to it in quite the same way again.”

“The Bethlehem Bach Festival is one of the most venerable musical institutions in the USA, with an unmatched tradition of introducing Bach’s music to our shores. Greg Funfgeld…has revitalized this Pennsylvania institution, and Dorian is doing well to document its vibrancy in a recording series… genuine honesty and intelligence informs this performance…Funfgeld has forged a fine body of singers and players…tightly disciplined ensemble …rousing spirit and sacred joy aplenty. This recording will not disappoint.”

“…intoxicating but precise choral sound that reminds you why choruses grew this large in the first place. The elemental power is startling…the Bethlehem approach under Greg Funfgeld isn’t anachronistic, but meets the historically enlightened approach halfway…We know from Bach’s often irritable correspondence that he campaigned for more singers. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem gives him all he could have wanted. Maybe this is “in-his-dreams” Bach.”

“…a performance that confirmed my belief that this is one of the finest large amateur choruses in the United States.”

The Bach Choir gratefully acknowledges and thanks our sponsors and media partners for supporting our organization and the arts. The Choir is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

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