Outstanding opera soloists as Vancouver Bach Choir revisits Handel's epic Messiah, December 10

Melody Courage, Marion Newman, Asitha Tennekoon, and Clarence Frazer help bring the resounding work to the Orpheum

Melody Courage

Asitha Tennekoon

 
 

Vancouver Bach Choir performs Handel’s Messiah on December 10 at the Orpheum

 

MEMBERS OF THE Vancouver Opera Orchestra and a compelling lineup of soloists will join Vancouver Bach Choir as it presents Handel’s Messiah this weekend at the Orpheum. Leslie Dala is at the podium for the epic celebration.

Canadian opera stars on the roster are soprano Melody Courage, mezzo Marion Newman, tenor Asitha Tennekoon, and bass-baritone Clarence Frazer.

They’ll add to the full-on experience of witnessing the choral masterpiece live—especially its famous, rousing “Hallelujah” chorus (which you’ve heard pop up pops up everywhere from Bridget Jones’s Diary and Dumb And Dumber). Written more than 250 years ago, the Baroque holiday tradition is simply awe-inspiring.

As you listen to this pinnacle of choral music, try to imagine that Handel is said to have composed Messiah in just 24 days.  

 
 
 
 
 

Related Articles

Articles
Christmas with Chor Leoni returns to Vancouver in winter tradition, December 19 to 21
Christmas with Chor Leoni returns to Vancouver in winter tradition, December 19 to 21

Annual concert at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church features such seasonal staples as “Silent Night” and “Maybe This Christmas”, plus two new arrangements

Holiday shows 2024: Stir’s ultimate guide to festive fare, from musical theatre to classical ballet
Holiday shows 2024: Stir’s ultimate guide to festive fare, from musical theatre to classical ballet

Seasonal standouts include a massive choral Messiah, and different takes on A Christmas Carol—including one with 10-foot-high puppets

Vancouver Chamber Choir presents Christmas by Candlelight, December 12 and 13
Vancouver Chamber Choir presents Christmas by Candlelight, December 12 and 13

Seasonal favourite sets timeless classics by Robert Pearsall and Morten Lauridsen, plus new works by B.C. composers, to the gentle glow of candles

Vancouver Bach Choir performs Handel's Messiah with members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, December 14
Vancouver Bach Choir performs Handel's Messiah with members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, December 14

Annual performance of beloved oratorio features soprano Caitlin Wood, alto Nicholas Burns, tenor Spencer Britten, and bass Jonathon Adams

Sloan’s Chris Murphy gets set to play a “pretty killer” mixtape with the Trans-Canada Highwaymen
Sloan’s Chris Murphy gets set to play a “pretty killer” mixtape with the Trans-Canada Highwaymen

Canadian alt-pop icon admits the supergroup with Steven Page, Chris Murphy, Moe Berg, and Craig Northey would have seemed unthinkable back in the day

Rudra veena master Bahauddin Dagar performs on stunning Indian classical instrument at the Chan Centre, November 23
Rudra veena master Bahauddin Dagar performs on stunning Indian classical instrument at the Chan Centre, November 23

Respected musician plays two shows devoted to India’s oldest-surviving classical genre alongside pakhavaj artist Tejas Tope

The CSO brings Handel's Messiah to the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver on December 7
The CSO brings Handel's Messiah to the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver on December 7

Led by Paula DeWit, early-music ensemble Cantare Super Orchestram and a cappella group Belle Voci give the 1742 oratorio fresh style

Daniel Levitin speaks at a special Vancouver Writers Fest post-festival event, November 19
Daniel Levitin speaks at a special Vancouver Writers Fest post-festival event, November 19

The neuroscientist, writer, and musician’s conversation with André Picard has musical interludes by Chor Leoni

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra premieres Philip Glass’ Eleventh Symphony in B.C., December 6
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra premieres Philip Glass’ Eleventh Symphony in B.C., December 6

Program also features Steve Reich’s Jacob’s Ladder with the U.K.’s Synergy Vocals, a Linda Catlin Smith premiere, and John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons

Vicky Chow returns with more Philip Glass Piano Études at the Anvil Theatre on November 23
Vicky Chow returns with more Philip Glass Piano Études at the Anvil Theatre on November 23

Pianist’s performances of the works have received high praise, including from the composer himself

Raphaël Feuillâtre makes the guitar sing
Raphaël Feuillâtre makes the guitar sing

Presented by Vancouver Recital Society, the Djibouti-born musician brings tremendous vocal feeling to his instrument

Jazz trumpeter Feven Kidane plays music inspired by Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat at VIFF Centre, November 16
Jazz trumpeter Feven Kidane plays music inspired by Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat at VIFF Centre, November 16

New documentary from Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez, a look at the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, screens directly afterward

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces 2025 national tour
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces 2025 national tour

More than 100 musicians will be making the journey to Ontario in March 2025

Music on Main hosts beloved annual concert Music for the Winter Solstice, December 11 and 12
Music on Main hosts beloved annual concert Music for the Winter Solstice, December 11 and 12

Winter tradition at the Heritage Hall promises enchanting music by pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa and vocalist Amanda Sum

Josefowicz Plays Stravinsky at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, November 29 to December 1
Josefowicz Plays Stravinsky at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, November 29 to December 1

Award-winning violinist to enchant audiences with Stravinsky’s stunning Violin Concerto and two Prokofiev symphonies

Saltwater Hank Trio performs rocking Sm’algya̱x songs at the Anvil Theatre, December 7
Saltwater Hank Trio performs rocking Sm’algya̱x songs at the Anvil Theatre, December 7

Led by Ts’msyen musician Saltwater Hank (aka Jeremy Pahl), group blends rock ’n’ roll elements with ancestral traditions

Clara Shandler the Sidewalk Cellist releases evocative new album Pacific Rain
Clara Shandler the Sidewalk Cellist releases evocative new album Pacific Rain

Twelve-song record layers compelling lyricism with heartfelt harmonies and poignant dissonances

Laila Biali tours Wintersongs & Holiday Classics to the BlueShore at CapU, December 5
Laila Biali tours Wintersongs & Holiday Classics to the BlueShore at CapU, December 5

Artist performs tracks from new album alongside Jane Bunnett, Dan Fortin, and Rebekah Wolkstein, with First Nations dancer Sarah Prosper and the NiteCap choir

Vetta Chamber Music and Rosemary Georgeson source stories from the ocean in Land and Sea
Vetta Chamber Music and Rosemary Georgeson source stories from the ocean in Land and Sea

The musical organization remounts Seasons of the Sea, which features words by Indigenous artist and storyteller Georgeson in a mixed program

Vancouver Chamber Choir explores Nordic music in Sounds of Finland, November 29
Vancouver Chamber Choir explores Nordic music in Sounds of Finland, November 29

Artistic director Kari Turunen programs a concert that honours his home country’s choral traditions, from simple folk to edgy modernism

Takács Quartet returns to Vancouver for a Friends of Chamber Music concert, December 8
Takács Quartet returns to Vancouver for a Friends of Chamber Music concert, December 8

World-renowned group marks its 27th show with the organization, featuring works by Haydn, Britten, and Beethoven

Christmas with the Bach Choir delivers holiday magic with over 500 voices, December 1
Christmas with the Bach Choir delivers holiday magic with over 500 voices, December 1

Singers from the Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs unite with musicians in this annual performance of charming seasonal selections

Kid Koala’s Nufonia Must Fall is a multimedia love story for the age of AI
Kid Koala’s Nufonia Must Fall is a multimedia love story for the age of AI

Part puppet show, part film screening, and part concert, the show lets attendees in on its creation

Little Chamber Music honours Canada's veterans in Remembered Aloud, November 11
Little Chamber Music honours Canada's veterans in Remembered Aloud, November 11

At Mountain View Cemetery, musica intima and the Vancouver Bach Choir join forces with local brass players to perform a Phrase of Remembrance

Chor Leoni’s Shadows Into Dawn travels from trauma of war to hope and healing
Chor Leoni’s Shadows Into Dawn travels from trauma of war to hope and healing

On Remembrance Day, composer-in-residence Marie-Claire Saindon contributes new piece that tells of finding light in darkness

Vancouver New Music celebrates 50th anniversary at All Yesterday's Parties, November 23
Vancouver New Music celebrates 50th anniversary at All Yesterday's Parties, November 23

Free open house at VIVO Media Arts Centre features live performances by Matthew Ariaratnam, Andromeda Monk, Sapphire Haze, and Anju Singh

Stir Q&A: At fifth annual TRANSFORM Festival, Corey Payette honours Indigenous artistry
Stir Q&A: At fifth annual TRANSFORM Festival, Corey Payette honours Indigenous artistry

Festival co-curated with The Cultch’s Heather Redfern features the workshop premiere of Payette’s musical On Native Land, plus a new choral composition

Bahauddin Dagar plays rudra veena at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, November 23
Bahauddin Dagar plays rudra veena at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, November 23

Performing alongside pakhavaj artist Tejas Tope, Dagar explores the virtuosity of dhrupad, India’s oldest-surviving classical style

Film review: Harmonium Symphonique–Histoires sans paroles blends the orchestral and surreal into sheer uplift
Film review: Harmonium Symphonique–Histoires sans paroles blends the orchestral and surreal into sheer uplift

White rabbits and Magritte clouds, as Visions Ouest presents film of Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s epic and affecting multimedia performance

Vancouver Recital Society’s Brahms Fest offers double serving of rich music on November 3
Vancouver Recital Society’s Brahms Fest offers double serving of rich music on November 3

Castalian String Quartet, violist Timothy Ridout, cellist Zlatomir Fung, and pianists Angela Cheng and Benjamin Hochman will perform two concerts in one day at the Vancouver Playhouse

MUSIC, OPERA, HOLIDAY22Janet SmithVancouver Bach Choir, Holiday 2022