Weekend pick: the annual Messiah Sing-Along at First Presbyterian Church
Julie Carter, acclaimed local choral music director, puts it best:
“There is nothing in music quite as exciting as sitting in the midst of an ensemble of hundreds of singers performing Handel’s magnificent ‘Messiah,’ ” she says.
The annual tradition of the Messiah Sing-Along, always performed on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27, at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Fresno.
Carter, the music director of the women’s chorale Soli Deo Gloria, will conduct a live orchestra (managed by Gaylene Joe, a retired Fresno Unified music instructor) that features organist Walter Saul, a professor emeritus of music at Fresno Pacific University.
The event was canceled in 2020 because of Covid. Last year’s event required masks and had reduced attendance. The 2022 version is back to full strength. It has attracted up to 700 singers in the past.
If you’ve always had a dream of singing a solo in “Messiah,” here’s your chance: Solos will be sung by members of the audience and are encouraged to sit towards the front. And if you aren’t comfortable with singing at all, there’s a place for you, too: Carter extends a special invitation to listeners.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER SPONSORED CONTENT
Admission is free. Attendees are encouraged to help feed the needy during the Christmas season by bringing non-perishable food items: canned goods and soups, dry pasta, pasta sauce, dry beans, etc. This food will be distributed through the Fresno Mission, Evangel Home as well as the First Presbyterian Church Food Pantry.
The Munro Review has no paywall but is financially supported by readers who believe in its non-profit mission of bringing professional arts journalism to the central San Joaquin Valley. You can help by signing up for a monthly recurring paid membership or make a one-time donation of as little as $3. All memberships and donations are tax-deductible.
