Handel’s Messiah at WUMC, April 12 2014
Williamsburg United Methodist Church is proud to announce that on Saturday, April 12 at 5:00 PM in the Sanctuary of our church, the Handel Chamber Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Richard Sowers, conductor, will present George Frideric Handel’s most famous sacred oratorio MESSIAH, the Easter portion, Parts II and III. Admission is free and open to the public.
This special concert event is being presented in recognition of the church’s 50th anniversary when, in 1964, Williamsburg UMC moved from the corner of Duke of Gloucester Street and Richmond Road and built a new worship facility in its current location at Jamestown Rd, only a few blocks away.
The Handel Chamber Orchestra is comprised of professional musicians from the Williamsburg Symphonia, Virginia Symphony, and Richmond Symphony. They will play the overture from Part I as introduction to the Easter portion which begins with the haunting chorus “Behold the Lamb of God.” The movements that follow consist of solo arias, recitatives, and choruses narrating the story of Christ’s Passion during Holy Week. At the end of Part II, depicting Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, the Chorus sings the most popular “Hallelujah!” Next, the Redemption portion celebrates the glorification of Christ in heaven through such well-known music as “I know that my Redeemer liveth” (soprano), the rousing bass aria “The trumpet shall sound,” the beautiful alto and tenor duet “O death, where is thy sting?,” the exciting “Worthy is the Lamb” and the final, great “Amen!” chorus.
Our outstanding roster of professional soloists include Laura Strickling, soprano, Lou-Anne Smith, mezzo, Garry Sloan, tenor, and Branch Fields, bass. These soloists will also perform as a quartet ensemble for three of the movements.
The last time the Easter portion of Messiah was presented at WUMC was in the spring of 2009. Since that time, our annual Christmas Messiah has grown in popularity from one to two performances in order to seat its ever-growing audience. We hope the Easter Messiah will become as popular providing another important outreach ministry for the deserving citizens and charities of James City County, Williamsburg and beyond.
A free-will offering will be collected of which net proceeds will be given to local charities. Concert duration is intended to be about 90 minutes. Williamsburg UMC is located at 500 Jamestown Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23185. For more information, phone the office at 757-229-1771.
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