Acclaimed Sunshine Coast ensemble, Oriana Choir will launch the festive season with two concert presentations of Handel’s beloved masterpiece, Messiah.
Conducted by Andrew Wailes, the events will be held 2pm November 25 at the Goodlife Community Centre, Buderim and 3pm November 26 at City Hall, Brisbane.
Oriana patrons will remember Andrew Wailes from their acclaimed presentations of Mendelssohn’s Elijah and more recently, Mozart’s Requiem and Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass.
At home, Andrew is the artistic director of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, each year conducting their own iconic presentation of Messiah which has become an important part of Melbourne’s Christmas celebrations.
Performances of Handel’s Messiah will be taking place all around the world during the Christmas period and many people make an annual pilgrimage to see the work.
Composed in just three weeks, Messiah has been delighting audiences for more than 280 years.
It is as mesmerising today as it was when, moved by the awe-inspiring Hallelujah chorus, King George II stood to his feet and started a tradition that has continued to this day.
“Messiah is an incredibly exuberant, moving and powerful work,” said Oriana president, Melissa Innes.
“We have been working very hard together to bring something joyful and fresh to this performance.
“We’re very excited to have Andrew at the helm, bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience.”
Joining Oriana this year are soprano Elisabeth Wallis Gaedtke, contralto Anne Fulton, tenor Tobias Merz and bass Jason Barry-Smith.
Oriana will be accompanied by Sinfonia of St Andrew’s, an accomplished Brisbane based orchestra which has collaborated with Oriana in recent years for several of their most acclaimed concert events including Haydn’s Creation and Mozart’s Requiem.
For all the bookings details visit www.oriana.org.au.
