Messiah Sing-in

Messiah Sing-In

Timpanogos Festival Orchestra and Chorus

Lois Stout, Conductor

Friday, December 5, 2008

Alpine Tabernacle

American Fork, Utah

Mary Billeter-Young, Soprano

Laura Garff Lewis, Mezzo-Soprano

Todd Miller, Tenor

Gary Sorenson, Baritone

This is the first year I have sung with the chorus. I attended the sing-in in 2006 about a week after I moved to Utah. But I had to leave shortly after "Thus saith the Lord." An announcement was made, "anyone parked in the Checker parking lot will be towed." I was in the checker parking lot. There were no other parking spots available. The streets were full of parked cars (not the middle of the road, silly. The sides.) So I went home. Sadness! But this year, I got the necessary information, so joined the chorus. YAY!!! I had a fun experience. Of course like any other music that I'm learning, I begin to hate it. I started hating Baroque music. We had something like four rehearsals total. Thankfully we didn't have to memorize it. Phew!

I love the opening number (after the overture). "Comfort ye my people." Those are the first words in the work. I can't really explain what that means to me, but suffice it to say, that those four words speak volumes to me. I have often said on my facebook profile, that a musician's job is to inspire hope. And indeed it is. Thank you G.F. Handel.

The one thing about the set up for this sing-in is that the powers that be put Hallelujah! at the end of the program. Handel put it as the end of Part 2. The end of the work is "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." Than the final, "Amen." Usually nothing comes after "amen." That usually means it's over. Perhaps, this year, I'll figure out why they do that.

Ms. Billeter-Young. Wow, where do I begin? She has been singing the soprano role for this sing-in for...well years I'm sure. She seems like a sweet lady and perhaps she was just having a bad day. But she was flat. Alot! I know I'm flat sometimes so I don't have a lot of room to talk. But seriously!

Ms. Lewis did great. There aren't a lot of arias for the Mezzo in this work, especially since it was cut practically in half. But I enjoyed listening to her.

Mr. Miller has a nice voice that carried through hall. His voice is slightly lighter than what I'm used to listening to on recordings of Messiah, but I liked it. (And I know, you're probably asking yourself, "why do I care what Joey thinks about so and so's voice?") "Comfort ye my people," is what it's all about. If the tenor blows that aria, the first words the audience hears for the evening, than there is no hope for the rest of the performance. Well, needless to say, Mr. Miller didn't blow it. I enjoyed it. (Although he sways. I do it to. I'm trying to quit. I promise.)

Mr. Sorenson has a lot of energy. I've never known a baritone that didn't. At least none that I can think of at the moment. "The trumpet shall sound" is probably one of the most popular pieces from Messiah. And with good reason. It's energetic. It requires something more than a good range and fast breathing to do it. Mr. Sorenson did an amazing job.

Overall, this was a fun and exciting evening for me. To sing the music of the great Mr. Handel, especially Messiah, a work which was written in approximately three weeks, was a great experience for this tenor.