Sunday, December 3, 2017 2:00 PM
Hill Auditorium
Handel’s Messiah
Handel’s Messiah was composed over the course of a month in 1741, six months before its premiere in Dublin at a new concert hall where several of Handel’s operas were also performed. Even the dress rehearsal was ticketed, and the morning newspapers excitedly reported that the oratorio “far surpasses anything of that nature, which has been performed in this or any other Kingdom.”
Ladies were asked to attend without hoops and gentlemen without swords, to increase the capacity of the hall. The premiere was a triumph; the Dublin Journal proclaimed, “The sublime, the grand, and the tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestic, and moving words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished heart and ear.”
Nearly 300 years later, Handel’s Messiah still invokes joy, and UMS’s 139th year of presenting the oratorio fills audiences with emotion for both the beauty of the piece and the pride of hearing friends and colleagues from the community bring this glorious work to life. Music director Scott Hanoian conducts the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony in this annual community tradition.
Messiah Cards
A special treat for all you fans out there! During UMS’s 125th season, we held a contest to design the Messiah poster. Bill Burgard, who had done many Ann Arbor Summer Festival posters over the years, entered, and he has been designing our Messiah posters ever since — 14 of them so far. This season, you can purchase a set of 10 lovely cards based on these designs.
Artist Website
http://ums.org/about/ums-choral-union/Thank You to Our Sponsors
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
- Richard and Norma Sarns
SUPPORTING SPONSOR
- Carl and Isabelle Brauer Endowment Fund
MEDIA PARTNERS
UMS LOBBY
How to Get Ready for Handel’s Messiah
In 2015, we followed conductor Scott Hanoian into a rehearsal with the UMS Choral Union.
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