Dating back to 1712, according to the choir's archives, it was formally founded in 1898 by Central Moravian Church organist John Frederick Wolle,[1] and was established at roughly the same time as Bethlehem Steel, which first began operations in 1899.

It has also performed at such American venues as Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center, has recorded with the BBC Proms and on the Dorian and Analekta labels,[3] and hosts the world's longest-running Bach festival.

[6] In 1921, Philadelphia's Evening Public Ledger described the ensemble as a "famous organization," and noted that its members would perform at that city's Academy of Music on November 6.

Under his leadership, the choir expanded its concertizing from annual performances at the Bethlehem Bach Festival to a year-round series of 31 concerts, released numerous recordings, and has been involved with the production of two films (the PBS documentary, Make a Joyful Noise, and the internationally distributed Classical Kids’ DVD, Mr. Bach Comes to Call.

[14] The COVID-19 pandemic delayed their plans, leading Bridget George to retire as Executive Director in June 2021, to be succeeded by Leela Breithaupt.