Messiah College Choral Arts Society holds final audition for Handel’s “Messiah”
December 18th, 2008
GRANTHAM, Pa. (Dec. 18, 2008) —Entering its 63rd season, the Choral Arts Society of Messiah College will hold public auditions in the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center on the college’s Grantham campus on Jan. 6 from 6-8 p.m. Singers should prepare a piece for the audition; an accompanist will be provided. Tuesday rehearsals begin Jan. 13 from 7-9:15 p.m. in the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center, and the performance is April 19 at 4 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Camp Hill. For more information or to schedule an audition, call (717) 691-6027.
Linda Tedford, director of choral activities at Messiah, will conduct the work for the third time of her tenure as the director. It has traditionally been performed every four years since 1946 when the choir was first formed by Professor Earl D. Miller who conducted a choir of 250 voices singing Handel’s “Messiah” in the Forum in Harrisburg.
The performance will also feature talented artists from the local area. Barbara Rearick, formerly from Dillsburg, Pa., now maintaining her professional vocal career in New York City, will be the alto soloist. Damian Savarino, vocal coach at Messiah College and professional soloist, will be the bass soloist. Joining them will be soprano soloist Sasha Piastro, a professional singer and voice teacher in the Williamsport area, and featured tenor soloist, Jeffrey Fahnestock, a well-known soloist for choral ensembles across the United States as well as a vocal instructor at Gettysburg College and Susquehanna University. The concertmaster is Michael Jamanis, violinist with The Newstead Trio and ensemble-in-residence at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, Lancaster, Pa.
The Messiah College Choral Arts Society, made up of 70 members from Messiah College and the greater Harrisburg community, was founded by Messiah music professor Earl “Prof” Miller in 1946. It was originally called the Alumni Oratorio Society. Later, the name was changed to the Grantham Oratorio Society to emphasize the community in which they participated. Miller directed the choir for 22 years, followed by Messiah professors Ronald Sider, who led the group for 28 years, and Ronald Miller, the 1997 interim director. In 1998, the choir was renamed the Messiah College Choral Arts Society to reflect the group’s rich heritage with the college.
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls more than 2,800 undergraduate students in more than 60 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.