 – On Sunday, December 5 at 7:30 pm, the St. Mary’s Catholic Church bells will be proclaiming one of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) most famous works, “Messiah.” Presented…){kind=link}
(NWPR-IN) – On Sunday, December 5 at 7:30 pm, the St. Mary’s Catholic Church bells will be proclaiming one of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) most famous works, “Messiah.” Presented by the Huntington University Concert Choir and its Orchestra, this marks the 56th year of this annual performance in Huntington, Indiana.
The Christian history of the “Messiah” was for secular theatre and was first performed during Lent, however after Handel’s passing, it also became the norm to perform the work during Advent, the before time of the Christmas season. Today it is performed both in churches as well as in concert halls, featuring only the first section of Messiah plus the “Hallelujah” chorus, but some ensembles feature the entire work as a Christmas concert.
Community members are sought for the choir and participation is encouraged, which rehearsals are set for Monday, October 25 at the Merillat Center for the Arts from 7:00-8:30 pm. Other Monday dates are: Nov. 1, 8 and 22.
The choir will perform the Watkins Shaw (Novello) score, available for purchase at the first practice for $8.50. A dress rehearsal, a black dress for the women and a dark suit with a white shirt and dark tie for the men, will be held from 1:30-4:30 pm on Saturday, December 4 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
For more information, call George Killian at 260.359.4247 or the HU Music Office at 260.359.4262, but fyi: The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic in Melbourne, Australia holds the world record for its performance of the “Messiah” –at least once annually–by the same organization and that started in 1853 or for 157 years.