Holiday Celebration “Musical Tradition and Timeless Memories: Handel’s Messiah”
When: Monday, Dec. 5, 7:30 pm
Where: Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI
FREE and open to the public
One of the greatest delights of the Christmas and holiday season is the chance it brings us to revisit cherished and familiar traditions. For many, it is the recollection of much loved musical gems that most completely provides the festive and warm mood to which we enjoy returning year after year.
This year, celebrate the holiday season as the Grand Valley State University Arts Chorale and Orchestra perform the music of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah.
Messiah, as Handel penned it in 1741, was nothing more than an unstaged drama with all of the musical and theatrical ingredients of an opera, but without the costumes and physical movement. The first part of Messiah, the Christmas section, which is centered on the prophecy and the story of the birth of Christ, will be performed along with other holiday favorites for orchestra, vocal solo, and choir.
From the majestic tenor recitative, Comfort Ye, to the reverential, smoothly flowing melodic lines of the Pifa, to the brilliance of the Hallelujah Chorus, you’ll enjoy immersing yourself in Handel’s timeless music, especially within the magnificent acoustic environs of Fountain Street Church.
This year’s Grand Valley Fall Arts holiday celebration promises a not-to-be-missed performance — a musical holiday gift from the faculty members, students, and staff members of Grand Valley State University to our West Michigan community and friends.
