Messiah College Concert Choir to perform with Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
October 19th, 2009
GRANTHAM, Pa. (Oct. 29, 2009) — The Messiah College Concert Choir will perform Haydn’s “Creation” with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. The performance, sponsored by Messiah College, will take place at The Forum in Harrisburg, Pa., under the direction of Stuart Malina. To purchase tickets for “Creation,” call the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra ticket office at (717) 545-5527.
Presented in three parts, “Creation” depicts the story of creation through texts from the Bible and Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” The first part celebrates the creation of the primal light, the Earth, the heavenly bodies, bodies of water, weather, and plant life. The second part celebrates the creation of sea creatures, birds, animals, and finally, man. The final part takes place in the Garden of Eden, and narrates the happy first hours of Adam and Eve.
The Concert Choir, directed by Linda L. Tedford, will join the Susquehanna Chorale — Messiah College’s resident ensemble, also directed by Tedford — and the Wheatland Chorale, of Lancaster, Pa., directed by Robert Upton. The concert commemorates the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death. Tedford said, “The opportunity to combine with such high caliber choirs and our fine Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra will be a life-changing experience for my students. They are looking forward to another opportunity to work with Stuart Malina. Haydn’s work is well written for the voice and is incredibly descriptive of each detail of the creation. ‘Creation’ is a delight to sing and to hear.”
For more information about the performance please contact the Messiah College Department of Music at (717) 766-2511, ext. 3310.
About the Messiah College Concert Choir
The Messiah College Concert Choir is the premiere vocal ensemble of the Messiah College Department of Music. Under the direction of Linda L. Tedford, the fifth conductor in the group’s history, the Concert Choir has enjoyed critical acclaim as a result of their performances and recordings. Student participants are chosen annually through competitive auditions from various academic majors and represent a cross-section of the Messiah College community. The choir has toured extensively in the United States and abroad with recent excursions to Ireland, Austria and the Czech Republic. In May, 2010, the group will return to Ireland for a ten day performing tour.
In addition to touring, the Concert Choir maintains an active recording schedule. The most recent recording, “Anticipation,” was released in October 2009. The Choir has been the featured ensemble by the music publishers Kalmus and Mark Foster on their internationally distributed CDs. Performances are characterized by a wide repertoire that encompasses both sacred and secular works. In addition to campus and community concerts, the Concert Choir frequently performs with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra as part of the orchestra’s Masterworks Series.
If you are interested in purchasing a recording of the choir, or if you would like to schedule the Concert Choir to perform near you, please call the music department office at (717) 766-2511, ext. 3310.
About Messiah College’s music department
The department of music at Messiah College is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The department offers majors in music and music education with concentrations in church music, performance, composition, commercial music and arts management. Through a variety of junior and senior recitals and choral and instrumental ensembles, students gain performing experience both on- and off-campus.
About Messiah College
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls 2,800 undergraduate students in 55 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.