Sheboygan Symphony, Chorus and Lakeland choir to present Handel masterpiece

Posted by on 7 December 2009 | 0 Comments

Sheboygan Symphony, Chorus and Lakeland choir to present Handel masterpiece - December 3, 2009

"Messiah," Handel's masterwork, will be performed by the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and the Lakeland College Concert Choir at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 12, at the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts.

Guest conductor Robert Harris, professor of conducting at Northwestern University, will lead the orchestra and chorus.  The Symphony Chorus and Lakeland College Concert Choir are under the direction of Janet L. Herrick, professor of music at Lakeland College.

"Messiah" was composed in 1741, when Charles Jennens convinced Handel to create an oratorio based upon a compilation of Scriptures he had recently selected. Handel wrote the entire work in a 24-day spurt, from Aug. 22 until Sept. 14. Consistent with the format of oratorios, "Messiah" is divided into three parts, representing Christ's birth, death and resurrection; each section containing a series of choruses.

"This work is probably the best known in the choral/orchestral repertoire and certainly is one of the most loved," Harris said. "Although it is traditionally sung during the Christmas season, it is not a Christmas piece in that only about one-third of it deals with the Savior's birth. In fact, its first performance took place in April of 1741."

Herrick added, "Dr. Harris is our fourth "Messiah" conductor. Each has had a slightly different interpretation of the work while adhering to the performance practices of Baroque choral music. Within the first few minutes of the first rehearsal with Dr. Harris, the chorus was connected with him. I always look forward to the years the orchestra and chorus perform Messiah. Even after countless rehearsals and performances, there is always a new and wonderful moment to discover. Each performance is more fulfilling than the previous - our knowledge of the piece grows and our skill is one level better."

The audience will hear many of their favorite singers and will be introduced to a few new soloists. Soloists will be drawn from members of the Symphony Chorus and teh Lakeland College Concert Choir. This year, soloists include Joelle Barrett, Rebecca Charbonneau, Clarissa Dimel, Fred Hollander, Cody Linder, Shannon Meulbroek, Emily Rendall-Araujo, Timothy VanZeeland and Brittany Wierzbach.



A similar article was featured in the Tri-County News.  You can view it by clicking here.