On a crisp October afternoon, 65 members of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem climbed up a hill in Moore Township and, standing a socially-distanced 10 feet apart, removed their face masks and lifted their voices together in glorious song.

It’s a sight that has become rare in these days of coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantines.

Audiences will get to hear and see the Bach Choir perform “Opening Up Our Hearts: The Music and Inspiration of Christmas,” its first-ever virtual Christmas concert, 4 p.m. Dec. 13.

“I think this is something people are really longing for,” says Bach Choir of Bethlehem Executive Director Bridget George. “People care so much about the music of the season and what the Bach Choir brings to it.”

The idea for the concert grew out of the Bach Choir’s virtual “Bach at Noon” programs, which have featured small groups of singers and instrumentalists in online concerts once a month.

“‘Bach at Noon’ has been a wonderful connection with our audience, but it didn’t involve the choir as a whole,” George says. “The singers felt so deprived and wanted to sing together.”

Bach Choir of Bethlehem Artistic Director and Conductor Greg Funfgeld and George brainstormed different ideas.

“We wanted to do something really special to create the spirit of Christmas,” George says.

Funfgeld felt very strongly that having the choir sing via an online platform like Zoom would not have the same impact as the whole group singing in the same space.

They came up with the idea of recording the choir singing outside where they could be socially-distanced.

They felt the perfect spot for the project would be “The Great Circle” at the 32-acre Little Pond Arts Retreat, Moore Township in the Nazareth area, which is owned by George and her husband Bill George.

“Greg called it the cathedral in the woods,” George says. “He put a lot of thought in how to prepare the choir. He was so dedicated.”

To adhere to coronavirus safety protocols, Funfgeld had the singers rehearse wearing face masks outdoors in small groups of eight. In a little over a month, he led 52 separate rehearsal sessions.

For the final rehearsal, all 65 singers wore face masks to sing together outside in the parking lot at First Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem.

“We have been very careful,” George says. “So much work has gone into this Christmas concert.”

The day of the recording, the singers arrived wearing face masks with the men in tuxedos and the women in long dresses. When they got to the 120-feet diameter great circle and were 10-feet apart, the face masks came off and the music began.

“The experience of the choir singing together was tremendously uplifting,” George says.

The choir performed Robert Parsons’ “Ave Maria,” traditional favorite “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain” as arranged by Paul Sjolund, and the choir’s traditional Christmas concert closer Franz Xaver Gruber’s “Silent Night.”

All was captured by a team of videographers, including Bill George.

Also recorded at Little Pond on a separate day was a performance of “Up Above My Head,” sung by the Bel Canto Youth Chorus conducted by Joy Hirokawa, which will be included in the concert.

Additional music by soloists and instrumentalist was recorded in at Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem. Soloists include Nola Richardson, soprano; Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano; Lawrence Jones, tenor, and David Newman, bass-baritone.

In addition to arias from Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio,” soloist performances include “O Holy Night” and “I Wonder as I Wander.”

Funfgeld asked soloists to perform Christmas favorites of their choosing “to offer a program that elicits the warmth of the season for our audience.”

Instrumentalists include Robin Kani, flute; Elizabeth Field, violin; Loretta O’Sullivan, cello; Mary Watt and Nobuo Kitagawa, oboes and oboes d’amore; Chuck Holdeman, bassoon, and Funfgeld, organ and piano.

Adding to the program are intervals of sacred text and spoken word, all delivering messages of hope, including St. Luke’s Gospel read by Bishop C. Hopeton Clennon in downtown Bethlehem.

Also included is a passage from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and poetry, including “Christmas II” by George Hebert and “The Work of Christmas” by Howard Thurman.

“They are deeply inspirational and full of joy,” George says. “This is so important, especially in Bethlehem the Christmas City.”

George says there has been an “incredible response” to the concert and nearly 1,000 registrations have been received from 40 states and eight foreign countries.

She says it’s a silver lining to a difficult situation.

“While we miss having a live performance, expanding our audience is what we’re about,” she says.

George hopes the online audience will, as audiences have done at Bach Choir Christmas concerts, join in singing “Silent Night” at home as the concert concludes.

To register for the link to Bach Choir of Bethlehem concert, “Opening Up Our Hearts: The Music and Inspiration of Christmas”: www.bach.org/event/christmas/

The concert is free. Free-will donations will be accepted to help offset the cost of the concert production.

Information: www.bach.org; 610-866-4382