Greenville Choral Union and Orchestra to Perform Handel’s Messiah in 79th Anniversary Season Concert on Sunday, December 6
Published: April 13, 2021
The Greenville Choral Union and Orchestra will celebrate their 79th seasonal performance of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah on Sunday, December 6 at 4:00 p.m. in the Whitlock Music Center on the campus of Greenville College.
Performers
The 100-voice Choral Union and the 28-piece Orchestra includes members of south central Illinois communities in addition to students, staff, and faculty members from Greenville College. Guest vocal soloists will include: soprano Debra Marsch (Associate Professor of Music at Greenville College); mezzo-soprano Denise Gamez (Special Guest Lecturer in Voice at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL); tenor Joshua Stanton (St. Louis, MO); and baritone Daniel Denner (Kansas City, MO).
Nine professional instrumentalists from the St. Louis area will join the Greenville Chamber Orchestra, directed by Professor Joe Noble of Greenville College. Tom Stampfli, Professor of Music and Music Department Chair at Greenville College, is the accompanist for the Choral Union. Greenville resident Carlo van Ulft, a professional carillonist (Centralia, IL), will serve as organist. Dr. Jeff Wilson, Director of Choral Studies at Greenville College and Music Director of the Greenville Choral Union, will conduct the concert.
Program Overview
The concert celebrates the music of the popular Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). The program will feature Handel's most famous sacred work entitled, Messiah: An Oratorio. Originally performed to benefit a charity in Dublin, Ireland in April, 1741, this year marks the 79th performance of the work in Greenville. This year's concert also commemorates the 250th Anniversary of the composer's death in 1759.
Seating for the concert will begin at 3:30 p.m. An offering will be taken to help defray the costs of the concert. Immediately following the performance, President Larry Linamen and his wife Dr. Kayla Fisher will host a reception for the community at the Tidball Alumni House on the Greenville College campus.
For those who are not able to attend the performance, the concert will be broadcast live on FM 89.5, WGRN.
For more information about the Greenville Choral Union and Greenville Chamber Orchestra, please contact the Greenville College Department of Music at 618.664.6560 or email media@greenville.edu.
