Lehigh Valley Arts Council

The Young People’s Philharmonic (full orchestra for high school)  and The Junior String Philharmonic (string orchestra for middle school) will be having  open rehearsals on Tuesday January 28th.  The Young People’s Wind Symphony (a middle school group for winds, brass and percussion) will be having open rehearsals on Wednesday January 15th and Wednesday January 22.  All rehearsals are at Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 Hamilton St,. Allentown from 6:15pm until 8:30 pm. All middle and high school instrumental players are welcome. For more information call the YPP office at 610-868-9888.

The Coffee House be part of the 113^th Bethlehem Bach Festival in May 2020.  Auditions for college and high school students will take place on Friday, February, 14 and Friday, February 21, 2020 from 1 – 5 pm at The Bach Choir Offices located at 440 Heckewelder Place, Bethlehem PA 18018.  Auditions are open to individuals and ensembles who play or sing Baroque music, and live or study in PMEA District 10. The judges are Greg Funfgeld, Bach Choir of Bethlehem artistic director and conductor; Larry Lipkis, professor of music and Composer-in-Residence at Moravian College; and Eugene Albulescu, associate professor of music at Lehigh University and director of the Lehigh University Philharmonic. Final auditions / dress rehearsal will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2020 from 10am – noon at Peter Hall at Moravian College.

Artists living within a 50-mile radius of the Lehigh Valley are invited to submit artwork for consideration to the fourth-annual juried exhibition, Compendium: Chroma. This year’s exhibition asks artists to submit works inspired by and featuring a Pantone’s Color of the Year from the year 2010-2020.

Our feature film “The Knox Mine Disaster Documentary” is seeking partnerships to provide local screening opportunities in the month of February 2020. This film is the definitive historical document on the tragedy that has the power to enrich the Arts and Culture of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Artists are invited to submit artwork for consideration to Encore, an open call exhibition that celebrates the connection between art & music. Each piece of art must be created on a CD or Vinyl record.
Submission to this is FREE, the deadline to submit is March 13th.

THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM and THE AMERICAN BACH SOCIETY announce The 11^th Biennial Competition for American Singers with special interest in the music of J.S. Bach

 The 113^th Bethlehem Bach Festival in May, 2020 will once again host the finals of the Young American Singer’s Competition, sponsored by the American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem.  Past winners who have gone on to worldwide careers, including performances with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, include:  Dashon Burton (2012), Janna Critz (2014), Nola Richardson and Christopher Edwards (2016) and Gabriela Estephanie Solis (2018).

 The Competition:

Up to ten finalists will appear before a panel of distinguished judges and a live audience in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The First Prize winner chosen by the judges on that day will receive a career development grant of $3,000 and a solo performing opportunity with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, in a future season.

In addition to the first prize, up to three additional cash awards of $500 may be awarded to other finalists, at the judges’ discretion.

Judges at the Finals on May 17, 2020, will include:

• Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem
• Other distinguished judges to be announced

The competition is open to citizens of the United States who were born after May 17, 1989.  (As of the finals on May 17, 2020, participants must not yet have reached their 31st birthday.)

Audition process:

• Preliminary application is by audio or video recording of one secco recitative and two J.S. Bach arias uploaded via the online portal https://getacceptd.com/
• From these preliminary applications, up to ten finalists will be chosen.
• Application Deadline Friday, March 20, 2020.
• All applications must be received by the Competition Administrator on or before this date.
• All applicants will be notified via email no later than April 15, 2020.

Competition Finals:

The finals of the competition take place during the 113^th Bethlehem Bach Festival. Finalists may request complimentary tickets to concerts on the weekend of the competition. Please visit the Bach Choir of Bethlehem’s website www.bach.org to view the Festival schedule.

• The finalists will sing in Bethlehem, PA, on Sunday, May 17, 2020, 1:00–3:00pm.
• Location: Peter Hall, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA 18018.
• At the finals, each singer will present one secco recitative and two arias by J.S. Bach, (not necessarily those in the preliminary application). Piano accompanist will be provided. Finalists are welcome to bring their own accompanist if they wish.
• Finalists must make their own travel arrangements.

CALL TO ARTISTS! Emmaus Art Commission’s public art project continues in 2020.

Help us enhance Emmaus by beautifying our well-worn town hydrants and showcasing the talent of our community throughout our town.

We are currently seeking applications from interested artists or artist teams. We want to see what your interpretation of what a hydrant can “be.” Perhaps your design would embellish a hydrant with a sense of place and local pride or maybe incorporates the history of our area? Perhaps it reflects the natural world, or make the hydrant stand out via abstract colors and shapes?

Concord Chamber Singers, an elite 40-voice, multi-generational community ensemble in the Lehigh Valley, invites experienced choral singers to audition for the 2018-2019 season. Upcoming events include a Family Holiday Concert at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem on December 2, followed by our annual Yuletide Feast December 6 and 7 at the Northampton Country Club. CCS will also perform at First Presbyterian Church of Easton during the first weekend of April 2019, featuring a world premier piece by Libby Larsen with orchestra and Irish Tenor, Emmet Cahill.

Auditions are being scheduled now for August. Call the Box Office: 484-707-5078 to schedule your audition. Visit www.ccsingers.org to learn more about the group.

The Lehigh Valley Folk Music Society sponsors a free public jam session EVERY 3rd WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH held at the Lehigh Valley Active Life Center (formerly called the Lehigh County Senior Citizen Center). It is open to all folk music lovers of any age who play an instrument or simply like to sing along or listen to the music. All ages and skill levels are welcome to our jam!

You will be joining Society members and guests for an enjoyable evening of folk music, bluegrass, old country, oldies and contemporary folk and sing-a-long songs of all kinds. Jam books are available to all who come. The books contain lyrics and chord diagrams of over 700 folk songs. Participants form a circle and each person in turn selects a song of their choosing for all to play and sing. You may also bring your own special songs. Our jam starts promptly at 6:30 pm and ends at 10:00 pm. Free refreshments are often served. Amplified instruments, except for bass, are discouraged. There is ample free parking at the Center.

More information: http://www.lvfms.org/jamsessions.html

Looking for Lehigh Valley artists! We are looking for volunteers that are willing to assist us with painting murals on our dementia/memory care units. Diversion murals are a great way to help assist our residents from exit seeking and is very therapeutic!

We would like to extend our restaurant dining room to local Lehigh Valley Artist. We are looking for people who would love to showcase and talk about their art to the community. This is a free opportunity that we hope can give you exposure and allow people to know about our New restaurant.

Seeking local artists to display their work in the Lobby & Conf. Room areas of the Macungie Institute. We would be open to hosting Artist Reception if dates are available. The Institute seeks to serve the community, with a focus on the arts and support local artists.

Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites is looking for part-time staff for the “Docents on Main Street Program” in Bethlehem. The docent must feel comfortable wearing 18th century period-appropriate clothing, enjoy speaking to the public, able to work independently, and provide an exceptional level of customer service. The docent will be outdoors almost the entire time in all types of weather. 

Responsibilities include:

• Greeting and welcoming diverse visitors to the downtown historic and shopping district
• Sharing information about downtown activities, museums, shops and restaurants
• Giving directions
• Answering questions

The base of operations for this program is the Historic Bethlehem Visitor Center located at 505 Main Street. The program will run daily from 11-4 and extended hours on weekends, during the summer and for events. Must be 18 or older to apply. This is a paid part-time hourly position. Flexible hours and schedules are available.

Email cover letter with availability & resume.

LUAG’s volunteers have the opportunity to gain exposure to the valuable and impressive works in LUAG’s collection.

By enhancing visitors’ experiences and making them feel welcome and appreciated, Volunteers are an integral part of the LUAG Teaching Museum.

Candidates should possess a love and appreciation of art, excellent communication skills, and interpersonal skills.

Training will be provided.

The Lehigh Valley Arts Council is looking for volunteers for our bi-monthly Arts Calendar distribution!

A big part of our mission is promoting and advocating the Arts of the Lehigh Valley, and that means dedicating the time and energy into creating our Arts Calendar! But we wouldn’t be able to get it out in the world without our awesome team of dedicated volunteers! They generously give their time to dropping off Calendars to various locations throughout the Valley, completing the final task of distribution.

Here’s how you can help the community simply by dedicating a small amount of time every two months:

We distribute more than 6,000 Calendars, but as a volunteer you’d be responsible for 5-10 locations to drop off a stack to the front desk or a staff member. It’s a quick and easy job, though very important, and while it doesn’t require many hours or heavy lifting, it does require the use of your car.

Our next distribution begins around March 1, 2017! If interested, please contact Lauren Beck at 610-437-5915 or operations@lvartscouncil.org.

Our musical instrument petting zoo is a highlight of many local events and helps spread the word about CMS and our programs. You do not need to know how to play every instrument.

If you have an outgoing personality and a desire to spread the joy of music to the community, please contact Lisa Hopstock at 610-435-7725 or lisa@cmslv.org for more info.