DW
Dorothy Williams
  • Class of 2012
  • Melrose Park, IL

Dorothy Williams adds to Augustana's Handel's Messiah Christmas tradition

2009 Dec 3

The Handel Oratorio Society will share a special Christmas tradition with families throughout the Quad-City community with its performances of Handel's Messiah on Saturday, December 12, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, at 2 p.m. The performances will be held in Augustana's Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). Community members young and old are invited to build this longtime Quad Cities' tradition into their own holiday celebrations.

This Christmas season marks the 129th consecutive year the Handel Oratorio Society will perform Messiah for the Quad-City community. However, Dr. Jon Hurty, director of the performance for the past 13 years, says the music is just as vibrant and meaningful today as when the Oratorio Society performed it for the first time in 1881. "It is an enduring story because it follows the prophecy, birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Handel's music is filled with glorious arias, choruses and instrumental sections that have become familiar and beloved by listeners."

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Handel Oratorio Society is the variety of performers it brings together. This year the choir features 62 Augustana Choir singers and approximately 200 others from the Quad-City community. They will be joined onstage by the 37-member Handel Oratorio Society Chamber Orchestra and four professional soloists. The result, Hurty says, is a show that is impressive not only to hear, but also to see.

"The visual appeal of 300 people on stage and the way in which they reflect the music is an important part of the performance experience," Hurty says. "You can listen to Messiah as a recording or even watch a DVD, but there is nothing quite like seeing your friends, colleagues, students and neighbors perform the piece."

This year's performance is especially noteworthy because two of the soloists, tenor Brent Wilson and baritone Mark Walters, live in the Quad Cities. They will be joined by soprano Sarah Hibbard and mezzo soprano Jessye Wright.

Wilson, a '01 Augustana alumnus and current Augustana professor, has sung Messiah in numerous venues around the nation. However, he says performing Messiah with the Handel Oratorio Society will be especially meaningful for him. "I was a four-year Messiah participant when I was at Augie. I feel very honored to come back and be able to participate in this event. I know how much it means to the community."

Like Hurty, Wilson also values Messiah for its timelessness. "Messiah is a piece that gets born again every time you hear it," Wilson says. "Every time I'm sitting up front listening to another soloist, the choir or the orchestra, I hear something I've never heard before. That's what keeps the piece alive for me."

Williams is a sophomore from Melrose Park, IL majoring in general students.

General admission for Messiah is $16, but tickets for senior citizens, students, children, Augustana staff members and groups are available at a reduced rate. The Oratorio Society's condensed version of Messiah lasts approximately two-and-a-half hours, with a 20-minute intermission between acts. For ticket pricing or to place an order, log onto www.augustana.edu/tickets or call the Augustana Ticket Office at (309) 794-7306.

The Handel Oratorio Society's performance of Messiah is one of a series of musical festivities at Augustana during the Christmas season. On Thursday, December 17, the Augustana Chamber Singers and Campus Ministries program will present Lessons and Carols at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. This beautiful Christmas service chronicles Christ's birth through song and readings in Ascension Chapel (820 38th St). The event is free and open to the public.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls nearly 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 60 majors and areas of study. Augustana employs 226 faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.