The “Ultimate” Messiah Sing-Along

The Messiah Sing-Along has become a very popular event in many American communities, and especially during the Christmas Season there will be hundreds of these celebrations across our nation. What makes them so popular? I have several thoughts as to why that might be. One is that Handel’s Messiah is a work that most choral singers have performed. Another is that during the Holiday Season a Sing-Along provides a wonderful shared experience, whether one comes to participate as an individual or as part of a group. And finally, I suggest that people enjoy participating in Messiah Sing-Alongs just because they are fun!

As all of us in The Michael O’Neal Singers prepare to present our 7th Annual Messiah Sing-Along, we will be repeating something we tried last year for the first time.  We will have the solos, as well as the choruses, sung by the audience!  I must admit I approached this last year with a bit of trepidation, having never heard of this being done before, and wondering if there might be a good reason for that!   However, I was enormously pleased with the results.   Each vocal section did a great job with its particular solos, and many singers told me it marked the first time they had ever been able to sing these pieces in public.   So, we’re about to repeat the experience again at Roswell UMC on Sunday, December 16,  at 3 PM, and I expect it to be even more successful than last year.   If you’re in the Atlanta area I invite you to join us.  More information is available at our website, www.mosingers.com, or you can call the MOS Office at 770.594.7974.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts about this approach to our Messiah Sing-Along or any other Messiah performance stories you may wish to share.

A Messiah Sing-Along (with a twist)

The Messiah Sing-Along has become a very popular event in many American communities, and especially during the Christmas Season there will be hundreds of these celebrations across our nation. What makes them so popular? I have several thoughts as to why that might be. One is that Handel’s Messiah is a work that most choral singers have performed. Another is that during the Holiday Season a Sing-Along provides a wonderful shared experience, whether one comes to participate as an individual or as part of a group. And finally, I suggest that people enjoy participating in Messiah Sing-Alongs just because they are fun!

As The Michael O’Neal Singers prepares to present its 6th Annual Messiah Sing-Along, there will be something new in how we do it! For the first time we will have the solos, as well as the choruses, sung by the audience! Don’t ask me where I got the idea, for I’m not sure! I just remember waking up one morning thinking about our Sing-Along and considering the possibility of having the solos sung by the vocal sections rather than by professional soloists. The more I thought about it the more convinced I became that it was a wonderful idea! Naturally, the “proof of the pudding” will be this coming Sunday at 3 PM when this interesting experiment takes place. Just imagine 200 tenors singing “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted” or 300 or more sopranos warbling “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.” The excitement is building as we prepare for the day! This is either going to be remembered as one of my best ideas ever, or not! What do you think?

Big Choir Singing!

Eight hundred voices joined together yesterday afternoon for the 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along in Roswell, GA (north metro Atlanta).  Sponsored by The Michael O’Neal Singers, it has become a community favorite and increases in attendance each year.  What a joy it is to have 800 people gathered together in one place singing with full robost voices the marvelous choruses of Handel’s masterpiece.  Since our performance space (Roswell UMC) seats 2000,  we should be alright for a few more years!

With soloists drawn from The Michael O’Neal Chamber Singers and instrumental accompaniment provided by the Riverside Chamber Players and organist Tom Alderman, the entire performance was a pleasure from the opening notes of the Overture to the final chords of “Hallelujah.”  There is such a sense of satisfaction that comes from so many people gathered in one place to perform (not just hear) the most beloved oratorio ever written.

For many of us, the familiar solos and choruses of of Handel’s “Christmas” Messiah (Part I and the “Hallelujah” from Part II) have become an integral part of our holiday experience.  I know that’s true for me, and I’m thankful to all those 800 people who helped make it happen this holiday season.

Time for a Community Messiah Performance

MOS will soon hold its 5th Annual Messiah Sing-Along and the approaching event has caused me to think a bit about this whole experience of a “community” Messiah.  I conducted several of these Sing-Alongs back in the 1980s, but hadn’t done another one until The Michael O’Neal Singers began its version several years ago.  From what I’ve been able to discover, the concept of a Messiah Sing-Along caught on in the USA in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Certainly there have been really BIG performances of Messiah dating back to the early and mid nineteenth century, but these took place primarily in England.  The Brits loved big choral societies and they really adored singing Messiah with big choirs and big orchestras!  I believe there were even some performances with a thousand singers or more.  There were also unrehearsed performances where the audience served as the chorus, and in Great Britain these were called “scratch Messiahs,” as in cooking from scratch.

The Messiah Sing-Along has now become a very popular event in many American communities, and especially during the Christmas Season there will be hundreds of these celebrations.  What makes them so popular?   I have several thoughts as to why that might be.  One is that Handel’s Messiah is a work that most choral singers have performed.  Another is that during the Holiday Season a Sing-Along provides a wonderful shared experience, whether one comes to participate as an individual or as part of a group.  And finally, I suggest that people enjoy participating in Messiah Sing-Alongs just because they are fun!

What is your most memorable Messiah performance experience?

Singing “Messiah” for Fun

MOS will soon hold its 4th Annual Messiah Sing-Along and the approaching event has caused me to think a bit about this whole experience of a Sing-Along Messiah.  I conducted several of these Sing-Alongs back in the 1980s, but hadn’t done another one until The Michael O’Neal Singers began its version several years ago.  From what I’ve been able to discover, the concept of a Messiah Sing-Along caught on in the USA in the late 1960s and early 1970s .  Certainly there have been really BIG performances of Messiah dating back to the early and mid nineteenth century, but these took place primarily in England.  Those Brits loved big choral societies and they really adored singing Messiah with big choirs and big orchestras!  I think there were even some performances with a thousand singers or more.  There were also unrehearsed performances where the audience served as the chorus, and in Great Britain these were called “scratch Messiahs,” as in cooking from scratch.

The Messiah Sing-Along has now become a very popular event in many American communities, and especially during the Christmas Season there will be hundreds of these celebrations.  What makes them so popular?   I have several thoughts as to why that might be.  One is that Handel’s “Messiah” is a work that most choral singers have performed.  Another is that during the Holiday Season a Sing-Along provides a wonderful shared experience, whether one particpates as an individual or as part of a group.  And finally, I suggest that people enjoy participating in Messiah Sing-Alongs just because they are fun! 

So, what do you think?  

An Extraordinary Experience

MOS just completed its third Messiah Sing-Along and it was for me an extraordinary experience.  What made it extraordinary was the level of involvement I sensed from the singers in the room (and essentially everyone in the room that day was a singer!).  Looking out at 650 smiling people and knowing that these folks had gathered for the express purpose of singing one of our great pieces of choral literature was a thrill.  All of us involved in choral music understand how satisfying it is to sing for others.  Still, I believe that to sing with others is even more satisfying, and it is indeed rare when we have the opportunity to sing with 650 people!

 

For those of you in attendance, how did the afternoon feel to you?   Did you also feel the level of anticipation in the room that I felt?  Was it fun singing with so many people?  What other Messiah Sing-Along experiences have you had over the years and what do you remember most from them? 

 

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!