Classical music concerts include the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra “Hebrew Connections” and the Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the Bach Choir “An American Patchwork.”

The Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra presents “Hebrew Connections,” 3 p.m. April 12, Congregation Bnai Shalom, Easton.

“This concert features classical works heavily influenced by the Jewish culture’s Klezmer and Chassidic musical traditions as heard by composers Sergei Prokofiev and Ernest Bloch,” says guest conductor Gary D. White.

“Continuing this theme, the second half of the concert is a celebration of one of America’s foremost composers, Aaron Copland, also of Jewish descent,” White says.

“Each selection is alive with energy and passion and is sure to create a memorable afternoon’s entertainment,” says White.

The concert opens with Sergei Prokofiev’s “Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34” (1919), a commissioned piece requested by six of his students at St. Petersburg Conservatory. Two themes are most prominent: the first in klezmer style and the second rather nostalgic.

Guest violinist Maxwell Brown is soloist for Ernest Bloch’s “Baal Shem: Three Pictures of Chassidic Life” (1923). The work, which explores Eastern European Jewish spirituality and Hassidic traditions, is named after the 18th century founder of the Hassidic movement, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, also known as the Baal Shem Tov, “holder of a good name.”

After intermission, the Sinfonia continues with Aaron Copland’s “Quiet City” (1939), featuring a beautiful and haunting opening dialogue between English horn soloist Nabuo Kitagawa and trumpet soloist Hugh Williamson. Initially composed as incidental music for a play by American playwright and novelist Irwin Shaw, the play was withdrawn after two performances, but Copland’s orchestral suite remains popular today.

The concert closes with Copland’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Appalachian Spring” (1944), which includes the famous theme and variations on the Shaker tune “Simple Gifts.”

Says White, “Written for the Martha Graham Dance Company, it is the story of a newly-married couple settling and building their lives together right here in nearby Scranton, Pennsylvania.

“As I personally listen to this powerful work, that additional detail makes the work come alive in a whole new way,” White says.

An experienced conductor, clinician, adjudicator and instrumentalist, Gary White trained at Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians, Hancock, Me.

He graduated from The New School of Music and received a Masters from Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music.

White, a professional French horn player, has performed with the Fairmount Brass Quartet, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, the Harrisburg, Reading and Pottstown symphonies, as a substitute with The Philadelphia Orchestra and is heard on numerous recordings.

Maxwell Brown, 15, is a student in the Pre-College Program of The Juilliard School and, through the Perlman Music Program, studies with Itzhak Perlman.

A recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Brown has performed as soloist with the Ambler Symphony, Chicago Arts and Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and in Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Kimmel Center. An avid fiddler, Brown is two-time youth champion of the world’s oldest and largest fiddlers convention held in Galax, Va.

Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, “Hebrew Connections,” 3 p.m. April 12; 2 p.m., pre-concert talk, Congregation Bnai Shalom, 1545 Bushkill St., Easton. Tickets: PSO office, 1524 W. Linden St., Allentown; 610-434-7811; https://www.pa.sinfonia.org

Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem presents “Spring Concert: An American Patchwork,” 4 p.m. April 19, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem.

“This afternoon’s program reflects on so many voices and influences that have helped shape American music,” says Alaina Swartz, Youth Chorale Conductor and Director of Education & Community Engagement of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

“Like pieces of a quilt, each tradition adds its own color and character, creating something vibrant and uniquely American,” Swartz says.

The concert opens with “The Star Spangled Banner,” under the baton of Bel Canto Director Kelly Rocchi.

Margaret Surdovel directs “Bach Buddies,” comprising children in kindergarten through second grade, in Paul Jennings’ arrangement of “Rocky Mountain.”

The Da Capo Treble Choir, for elementary-age students, is directed by Erica Silver in “Uh-Hum! (Froggie Went a-Courtin’)” by Greg Gillpin, and joined by the Youth Chorale in Neil Johnson’s arrangement of “Cindy.”

Alaina Swartz leads the middle school-age Youth Chorale in “De Colores” by Mari Esabel Valverde; “Shenandoah” by Mary Goetze; “Cripple Creek” by Emily Crocker; “Keep Your Lamps!” by Victor C. Johnson, and Rollo Dilworth’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

The Bel Canto Youth Chorus closes the concert with “My Country Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful.”

Piano accompanists are Emily Brands for “Bach Buddies” and Da Capo Treble Choir, and Tina Lebrecht for Youth Chorale and Bel Canto Youth Chorus.

Says Swartz, “Through today’s performance, our singers explore just a small sampling, from folk traditions to contemporary choral works, with each piece representing a different thread in the rich and varied fabric of American music.”

Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, “Spring Concert: An American Patchwork,” 4 p.m. April 19, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem; Tickets: Bach Choir Office, 440 Heckewelder Place, Bethlehem; Children under 10 free; office@bach.org; 610-866-4382 ext. 110 or 115; https://bach.org/tickets

“Classical View” is a column about classical music concerts, conductors and performers. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com