The Orchestra
of Southern Utah and Southern Utah Chorale perform their 72th
concert of Handel’s Messiah
Concert on Sunday, December 9th and Monday, December 10th
at 7:30 pm in the Heritage Center (105 North 100 East) in Cedar City. This concert is presented FREE to the
public thanks to the generous sponsorships of State Bank of Southern Utah and
the Leavitt Group.
Due
to the popularity of this holiday tradition, tickets are required. Free tickets may be obtained at the
Heritage Center Box Office, located at 105 North 100 East in Cedar City. OSU and the Heritage Center ask that
all ticket holders be seated no later that 7:15 pm. Open seats will be released at that time to those without
tickets on a first come first seat basis.
The
Orchestra is hosting a food drive in conjunction with the Messiah
Concerts. All food will be donated
to the Iron County Care & Share.
“Too many in Iron County are trying to get by on too little,” stated OSU
President Harold Shirley. “You can
help stock our Care and Share Food Bank by bringing a canned good (or two) to
this year’s Messiah performance.
This
year, the Cedar City Interfaith Council will be giving away cookies after each
night’s performance of Messiah. They will also be selling CDs to raise funds
for our local Care and Share.
The Messiah Concert is
conducted by OSU Conductor and Music Director Xun Sun. The Chorale is under the direction of
Kevin Baker. Soloists include
Larry Johnson, Annie Powell, Shaye Leavitt, Laurice Williamson, Melissa
Leavitt, Taliah Byers, Jan Pressgrove, Alex Byers and Christina Meikle.
Due
to the length of the Messiah, only
portions of the oratorio to be performed.
This year’s pieces include the Overture, “And the Glory,” “O thou that
tallest good tidings,” “For unto us,” “Glory to God,” “His Yoke is Easy,” “Lift
up your heads,” “Hallelujah,” “Since By Man Came Death” and “Worthy is the
Lamb” plus several of the popular arias.
George Frideric Handel composed the Messiah in 1741, completing the
masterpiece in an astonishing 24 days, drawing inspiration from a libretto by
Charles Jennings as well as Isaiah and Job in the Old Testament and Luke,
Matthew, John, First Corinthians, and Revelation in the New Testament. The well-known and ever popular
“Hallelujah” chorus, however, is taken from Revelation.
The now famous oratorio was first performed for
Easter in 1742. It was not
performed in the winter until after Handel’s death in 1759. Since then, Messiah has become an integral
part of the holiday season all over the world. It has been performed countless
times in December, though portions of the work are sometimes performed at Easter.
The Messiah Concert is performed Sunday, December 9th
and Monday, December 10th.
Tickets may be obtained for no charge at the Heritage Center Box Office. Doors open at 6:45 pm. OSU and the Heritage Center asks that
all ticket holders be seated no later that 7:15 pm. Open seats will be released at that time to those without
tickets on a first come first seat basis.
Many in our area need a little extra at
this time of year, so the Orchestra of Southern Utah encourages patrons to
bring a few extra cans of food to help our Care and Share. “When we each give a little, we help a
lot,” said Shirley.
OSU
welcomes all children over the age of six with adult supervision. OSU requests that babies and children
less than six years old not attend as the concerts are recorded.
For
more information, please visit www.orchestraofsouthernutah.org
or call the Heritage Center Box Office at 435-865-2882.
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