When the acoustic guitar in Studio 11 broke beyond repair, we put out a simple ask to our community: did anyone have a guitar we could use? What followed was an outpouring of generosity! A beautiful guitar came to us by way of our friend Nick the luthier at the SUSTAIN CHAPEL. Turns out Nick […]
When the acoustic guitar in Studio 11 broke beyond repair, we put out a simple ask to our community: did anyone have a guitar we could use? What followed was an outpouring of generosity. This is the first of several thank-you posts we’ll be sharing. First, a big thank you to Basement Poetry who donated not […]
It’s always exciting to hear albums recorded right here at the library! Lehigh Valley hard rockers Bellwether Ritual were recently in Studio 11 and you can hear the results right here right now! Bellwether Ritual Mike from Bellwether also documented the process: check out our Q&A with him and also a fantastic YouTube video he […]
We’re so lucky to have so many great performers TONIGHT (11/11) at BAPL! Let’s meet a few. Artist interviews by Madison Hummel, Moravian University. ‘ZEL Who is part of the band? ‘Zel is a solo artist, but he does perform with his sister Melladi who sings backup vocals for his sets. He also enjoys performing […]
We hope to see you all on Friday 11/11/22 for 11FEST! Here is the schedule of performers, subject to change but likely to be pretty much like this. This event is held in the Cohen Room at the Main Library. It is a suggested $11 donation. Can’t make it to 11FEST but still want to […]
You know the date already: 11/11! The annual 11Fest concert at the Bethlehem Area Public Library is right around the corner. This fundraising event will feature at least eleven live performers who play all different kinds of music. Each one gets a little bit louder until the end when we turn it up to 11 […]
]It’s always really fun to hear the stuff coming out of Studio 11, the free public recording studio here at the Bethlehem Area Public Library sponsored by the Martin Guitar Foundation. We were all blown away by this new album by HOME FOR BED, the project of Zane Kratzer of Bethlehem. Zane works in data […]
BAPL Director Josh Berk was interviewed by WLVR this month about Studio 11! They also interviewed some performers who use the studio, as well as Christi Buker of the Pennsylvania Library Association. Give it a listen here: Studio 11 proves libraries are not just books
Even with COVID protocols making it unavailable for the first half of the year, 2021 ended up being a busy year in Studio 11. We had 127 sessions booked over the six months it was open, from June-December 2021. It’s great to see (and hear) all the of beautiful music being recorded there. We had […]
Eleven performers rocked the library on November 11, in the now annual tradition known as 11Fest. The festival and the date are inspired by the library’s Studio 11, whose name was inspired by our address (11 W. Church St.) and by the movie Spinal Tap (“Turn it up to eleven!”). To really bring home the […]
Hi Friend! You can purchase one of the below to help support Studio 11, the FREE public recording studio at BAPL. Some are things you’d have to come pick up at the library. Some are lessons/services that can be done remotely. Check out the links! And here’s a link to easily give $11 dollars if […]
Thank you for stopping by 11Fest! You can watch on BAPL’s YouTube channel here. And there are lots of ways to support the studio! You can purchase one of the items or services/experiences below, or just make a donation. Here’s a link to easily give $11 dollars. You will help us fund the operation of […]
Let’s look back at this first year of Studio 11 at BAPL! The stu (as we affectionately call it) opened in March of 2019 so we’re looking at less than a full calendar year, but it’s still fun to use the end of the year as a time to look back. And what a year […]
We were happy to partner with PBS39 last month to host a screening of the new Ken Burns documentary Country Music at BAPL. To make it a special night we invited Bethlehem’s own golden-voiced country crooner Chuck Rissmiller to perform before the film right here in Studio 11. The audience thoroughly enjoyed his take on […]
The Bethlehem Area Public Library released a music video today! The song is called “I Like Being Loud in the Library” and features the voices and musical talents of many community members. The song was written by Library Director Josh Berk. “I actually wrote most of the song years ago when I was a children’s […]