Ring in the season with a grand performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’

The New River Valley’s own Blacksburg Master Chorale is joined by a professional orchestra and guest soloists to present one of the most iconic works of the holiday season, Handel’s “Messiah,” on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m. at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.

Experience the power, beauty, and grandeur of this beloved oratorio, featuring the sound of more than 100 singers filling the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre for the glorious and resounding “Hallelujah Chorus.” Voices will soar in celebration of faith, hope, and joy with the radiant sound of one of the greatest choral works ever composed. 

For this performance, the Blacksburg Master Chorale is joined by an orchestra and soprano Kathryn Mueller, mezzo-soprano Mary Phillips, tenor Robert Bracey, and bass-baritone Enrico Lagasca. Conductor Dwight Bigler is Blacksburg Master Chorale’s music director and professor of music and director of choral activities at Virginia Tech.

For both the devoted fan and those experiencing “Messiah” for the first time, this performance will uplift spirits and usher in the holiday season with majesty and grace.

German Baroque composer George Frideric Handel began writing oratorios — operas about sacred subjects that are presented in concert instead of acted on the stage — after his opera season was canceled because of a lack of subscribers. He wrote 22 oratorios in all, composing “Messiah” in 24 days in 1741.

A monumental piece that uses texts from the old and new testaments, “Messiah” tells the story of the coming of Christ. The work gained popularity throughout the 1750s and, after Handel’s death, was performed all over the world with increasing adaptations and re-orchestrations based on the musical taste of the time. 

Handel’s “Messiah” is special to the Blacksburg Master Chorale because it inspired the group’s beginnings. In 1987, founding music director Craig Fields recruited local choir members and musicians to perform the piece after just one rehearsal. The entrance fee was simply canned food for the local food pantry.

That event led to the establishment of the Blacksburg Master Chorale, a community organization based in Blacksburg that welcomes singers 18 and older to perform contemporary and classical pieces — and the occasional commissioned piece or local composition — and participate in the local arts community. The ensemble was established in 1987 and consistently has 80 to 100 active singer members performing three to four major concerts per year in venues across the New River Valley. Former members now have musical careers with such organizations as the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and Chanticleer.

This performance is supported by Blacksburg Master Chorale sponsors Debra and Jack Call, Sheila and Alex Darby, Judie and David Reemsnyder; the Town of Blacksburg; National Bank; the Virginia Commission for the Arts; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets

Tickets are $25-$65 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.