Bethlehem Conference 2021

Notes from Nola –
the Bethlehem Conference on Moravian History and Music
& Moravian Music Foundation’s Concert

Register at www.MoravianConferences.org and you will receive the link to the concert and to all the sessions. You may also make a donation to help the conference offset its expenses!

2020 was the 250th year of the birth of Ludwig Van Beethoven, and so this concert honors “Beethoven in Bethlehem” (a few months later) by using a major work found in the Bethlehem collections!

The Bethlehem Conference on Moravian History and Music actually has its origins with the first Bethlehem Conference on Moravian Music that took place in 1995, focusing on the contributions of organ-builder David Tannenberg. This conference was such a success that another was held two years later, and another, and then it was decided to expand it into a joint conference on Moravian history and music every two years in the fall. This sixth such joint conference will explore Moravian history and music from the 15^th to the 21^st centuries, in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Conference tickets include all lectures, presentations, panels and performances; an opening reception on Thursday; and a concert presented by the Moravian Music Foundation on Friday evening; the Moses Lecture in Moravian Studies on Thursday and the Moravian Historical Society Lecture.

While the conference features many scholarly presentations of new research, most will also be of interest to the “non-scholar” who just loves history or music, and the conference attendees always include both academic and non-academic listeners.

The Moravian Music Foundation has several special offerings during this conference:

Yours Truly, MMF Research Librarian, Dave Blum, and Cataloger, Donna Rothrock, will all present papers.

FULL SCHEDULE:
17 Sessions, a Keynote, and the Moses Lecture in Moravian Studies

And on Friday night the Foundation is sponsoring what promises to be a wonderful concert of chamber music, much of it newly edited and just being introduced to listeners! (Note: This concert is open to the public, whether or not you are attending the whole conference.)

There will be nearly 4 dozen presentations, with speakers from a dozen or more countries around the world. The hardest part will be making your choices – concurrent sessions mean you can’t actually hear every single presentation of the conference! Although, having content online may make it easier to move between sessions. It promises to be a wonderful few days of listening, conversation, and learning!

Registration for the conference is now open at http://www.MoravianConferences.org. There are special rates for students and seniors.

We hope to see you in Bethlehem!