Branford Messiah’s FREE 28th Annual Holiday Performance of Handel’s Messiah

A Shoreline performance of the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah is scheduled for Sunday, December 20 at 5:30pm in the First Congregational Church of Branford (on the Green). This will be a special performance this season as we celebrate the life of Ettie Minor Luckey, founder and artistic director of this wonderful holiday tradition 28 years ago, who passed away this past spring. In her honor the Branford Messiah will continue to bring this beloved piece of oratorio music to the citizens of the Shoreline.  Seasonal performances of Handel’s Messiah, for many, are as popular as performances of The Nutcracker and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show. The Branford Messiah production is offered to the community for free.  Ettie’s vision when she started this project was to present this classical piece at no admission cost so that all could enjoy this beautiful story set to music.  In many of Handel’s oratorios the choruses are overshadowed by the intricate and extensive solo parts.  But in Messiah, says Laurence Cummings, director of the London Handel Orchestra, "the chorus propels the work forward with great emotional impact and uplifting messages" (Smithsonian.com).  With these choruses, alternating with beautiful solos and outstanding orchestral accompaniment the host Churches on the Shoreline have been filled to capacity for 25 years and for many this performance is a highlight of the holiday season.   

It is because of the generosity of local businesses and individuals that this program has been sustained since its inception in 1987.  This 28^th annual performance is once again being directed by Wesleyan University professor Roy Wiseman. Roy Wiseman is a conductor who has premiered dozens of works by American composers; he has conducted at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Kennedy Center, the Oregon Festival of American Music, the Goodspeed Opera House, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Palace Theater (New Haven). He is currently serving as Conductor of the Wesleyan University Orchestra, and is the founder and Artistic Director of both New World Consort, a chamber ensemble that specializes in American music, and Elite Syncopation, a ragtime/early jazz ensemble that tours nationally.  Soloists for the performance will be: Lielle Berman-soprano, Krysty Swann-mezzo soprano, Ed Hull-tenor and Jorell Williams-bass.  Joining them will be more than 50 community singers and a 14-piece orchestra. The performance is free to attend though a free will offering is greatly appreciated.  As this performance is always well attended it is suggested that you plan on arriving at least 20 minutes early to be assured of a seat.

More than 250 years after the death of George Frideric Handel , his oratorio Messiah has become synonymous with the Christmas season.  Though this work was originally created as an Easter offering and first performed in April of 1742, now it is performed regularly at this time of the year in concert halls throughout the world.  Handel composed this masterpiece in the summer of 1741 in less than four weeks, musically scored around the text written by Charles Jennens, a prominent librettist of the time.  Handel then premiered the work that following spring in Dublin, Ireland.  His choice of Dublin rather than London is often compared to the Broadway producers trying their shows out in New Haven before bringing them to the New York City audience (Smithsonian.com). It provided Handel the opportunity to gage reaction before presenting it to the London aficionados, which he successfully then did in March of 1743. 

For anyone who has ever attended a performance of this masterwork one knows that it is common practice for all to stand for the finale chorus “Hallelujah.”  Have you ever wondered why this is done?  I expect that there are many stories or reasons to explain this occurrence and many theories abound, the most common being that King George II, attending that London premiere of  Messiah in March of 1743, was so moved by the “Hallelujah’’ that he stood up - and if the king stands, everybody stands!  Whatever the reason, it is a wonderful tradition and a wonderful tribute to the orchestral and vocal performers (Smithsonian.com).