The Bethlehem Music Series is celebrating its 45 anniversary this year, and the Bethlehem Foundation has once again offered its support.
The Bethlehem Foundation made an initial grant in 1982, when the Bethlehem Music Series was barely a reality, but certainly a worthy dream in the mind of founder and Artistic Director, Maria Bucka. Subsequent grants for a variety of purposes were made in 1986, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2021.
The Foundation’s most recent grant in 2026 was for the design, publication and distribution of the Commemorative Book titled Celebrating 45 Years of Excellence. We are honored to celebrate the success of the venture.
The booklet begins with an introduction, is sectioned into highlights from 1981-1999, 2000-2019 and 2020-2026. Partners, friends, supporters, artists and the board of directors all have a place in the spotlight as the progression of the series is reviewed and described.
When she began the series, Maria was the organist at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Although it had, and still has, a strong music program, she felt there was more potential. The inspiration for the musical outreach through a concert series was the Gothic-inspired space showcasing a variety of music genres and exceptional performers, accessible to all who wanted to attend.
Maria commented, “Who would have believed that we would be celebrating our 45th season?” Offering a wide variety of musical genres, no tickets are ever sold to those attending a concert, making it the longest running series of its kind in the Twin Cities metro area. Although the program changes, what stays constant is the dedication to presenting artistic experiences of the highest quality in a welcoming environment. A very impressive ~70,000 people have attended events of the Bethlehem Music Series over the years.
Printed copies of the 45th Anniversary commemorative booklet are available at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities and offered at Bethlehem Music Series events this season. A PDF version is also available online at www.bethlehemusicseries.org.