Published June 19. 2026 04:42AM<\/p>\n
Renowned classical music guitarist Eliot Fisk launched the summer 2026 \u201cBach at Noon\u201d concert series, June 9, St. John\u2019s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Allentown.<\/p>\n
Fisk, guitar, joined soloists Katelyn Grace Jackson, soprano; Aryssa Leigh Burrs, mezzo-soprano; Nathan Hodgson, tenor, and Steven Eddy, baritone.<\/p>\n
Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director, Bach Choir of Bethlehem, conducted the concert.<\/p>\n
Fisk, described by The New York Times as a \u201cfiery missionary to the unconverted,\u201d has spent nearly five decades captivating audiences around the globe with a commitment to expanding the guitar\u2019s artistic possibilities.<\/p>\n
Fisk, the last direct student of legendary guitarist Andr\u00e9s Segovia, has an international reputation through his performances, recordings and acclaimed transcriptions of works by composers, from Bach and Scarlatti to Mozart and Mendelssohn.<\/p>\n
The June 9 concert opened with Fisk transcriptions for guitar, including J.S. Bach\u2019s \u201cSuite in G Major,\u201d BWV 1007; Ernesto Halffter\u2019s \u201cHabanera,\u201d and Isaac Alb\u00e9niz\u2019s \u201cSevilla.\u201d<\/p>\n
Centerpiece of the concert was Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco\u2019s \u201cRomancero Gitano\u201d (\u201cRomani Ballads\u201d), with four vocal soloists and classical guitar based on the poetry of Federico Garc\u00eda Lorca.<\/p>\n
Written in 1951 for Segovia, the work evokes the sights, sounds and spiritual traditions of southern Spain, from town processions and religious celebrations winding through narrow streets to reflections on love, loss, faith and memory.<\/p>\n
The concert, according to the Bach Choir, offered \u201ca rare opportunity to hear one of the guitar world\u2019s most influential artists in an intimate setting while exploring music that bridges Bach\u2019s legacy with the rich traditions of the Iberian Peninsula.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fisk will be Artist-in-Residence at the 119th Bethlehem Bach Festival in May 2027.<\/p>\n
The June \u201cBach at Noon\u201d was presented in honor of Dorothy Hess Baker and her mother, Elizabeth Leith Hess, former members of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
The concert and the participation of the featured soprano and alto soloists were made possible in part by a legacy gift from the Dexter F. And Dorothy H. Baker Foundation.<\/p>\n
The free concert series \u201cBach at Noon\u201d continues noon July 14 and Aug. 11, St. John\u2019s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 37 S. Fifth St., Allentown.<\/p>\n
Information: https:\/\/bach.org\/calendar\/<\/p>\n
PRESS PHOTO BY SHERI BAYNEEliot Fisk, in concert, \u201cBach at Noon\u201d June 9.<\/p>\n
PRESS PHOTO BY SHERI BAYNEEliot Fisk<\/p>\n
FILE PHOTO\u201cBach at Noon,\u201d St. John\u2019s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Allentown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published June 19. 2026 04:42AM Renowned classical music guitarist Eliot Fisk launched the summer 2026 \u201cBach at Noon\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":["post-223035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}