Usually by now most people are in holiday mode and busy shopping for Christmas, subjecting their senses to the inane popular sounds of the season you hear in all the shopping malls since about October. I steadfastly hold off on listening to any and all Christmas music until December 1st, and today in fact is the first day I put on a full CD of Christmas music as I prepare to dress the house for the holidays.
But for many, Christmas just isn't Christmas without attending a performance of Handel's celebrated oratorio Messiah. It is indeed a Christmas tradition, even though it was actually written for the Easter season. Oh well...maybe some year an enterprising arts organization would dare to programme the work at Easter rather than Christmas. I would like that.
I have not been to a performance of Messiah in many years and feel I am about due. But not sure if this is my year or not with COVID still amongst us but we'll see. My personal history with Messiah I have related here before but if you don't remember, I actually sang baritone in a performance of the Tafelmusik Sing-a-long Messiah in Toronto years ago, and that was fun. And one memorable year I attended a Sunday afternoon performance here in St. Catharines with Chorus Niagara before grabbing a quick dinner on the run on my way up to Guelph to attend the performance that very evening at the River Run Centre in downtown Guelph! Yes, those were heady days and explains how I spent part of my younger days...
This year you'll be had pressed to find a local performance of Messiah. Not that many years ago you could count on our local Choralis Camerata ensemble to stage Messiah on the years Chorus Niagara chose not to, as they only do it alternate years. Chorus Niagara will perform their annual Christmas concert which is not Messiah this year next weekend, which would mean Choralis Camerata has the Messiah stage all to themselves here in Niagara.
But not this year.
In fact, Choralis Camerata is presenting Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, often overlooked during the holidays I find, tonight in fact at 7:30 pm. The performance is at one of their familiar spaces, the large St. Andrew's United Church on Morrison Street in Niagara Falls. For tickets you can go to www.choraliscamerata.com.
If you happen to find yourself in Stratford this evening, the Stratford Concert Choir conducted by Stephane Potvin will present a performance at 7 pm at Avondale United Church. For tickets go to www.StratfordConcertChoir.org.
The Elora Singers will present excerpts of Messiah only tomorrow afternoon at 4 at St. Joseph's Church in nearby Fergus, with a chamber orchestra and soloists from the ranks of the choir. For tickets go to www.elorasingers.ca.
The Brott Music Festival in Hamilton soldiers on in spite of losing their founder, the irrepressible Boris Brott in a tragic accident not that long ago. They will host two performances with the National Academy Orchestra, the ensemble Brott founded with the Festival back in 1987, this coming Monday and Tuesday evening. Monday at 7:30 pm they perform at West Highland Church in Hamilton; Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Tickets for both performances are available by going to www.brottmusic.com.
You have a bit of a wait until the two big, traditional Messiah performances come up in Hamilton and Toronto, but for both I would suggest getting tickets sooner rather than later.
In Hamilton, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bach-Elgar Choir team up with conductor Gemma New for one performance only on Friday, December 16th at 7:30 pm at Central Presbyterian Church, 165 Charlton Avenue West. For tickets go to www.hpo.org.
Finally the big bow-wow performances in Toronto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra come up from Saturday, December 17th to Wednesday, December 21st, with all performances at Roy Thomson Hall in downtown Toronto. These are always popular performances so don't delay if you want tickets. Go to www.tso.ca.
There ill be other performances of Messiah within driving distance to Niagara but that should at least get you started. If you go, don't forget to stand during the Hallelujah Chorus. That's just what we do...
Have a great weekend!
December 3rd, 2022.
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