Music Worcester Brings Back Two Beloved Holiday Traditions In December

Music Worcester will present two cherished Central Massachusetts holiday traditions this December: The Worcester Chorus performing Handel's Messiah on December 5 at Mechanics Hall, followed by the Worcester Chorus Women's Ensemble's annual Holiday Concert on December 20 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Tickets and performance details are available now at musicworcester.org.

A cornerstone of the region's cultural history, Handel's masterpiece was first performed by The Worcester Chorus during the grand opening weekend of Mechanics Hall in 1858. Over the past several decades, the performance has become a definitive annual tradition, marking the beginning of the holiday season for generations of families throughout New England.

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"Last year, we celebrated our long run of Messiahs by hearkening back to a time when these arias were sung by larger voices, as opposed to the Baroque specialists we've seen in the last 50 years," said The Worcester Chorus' Artistic Director Chris Shepard. "Judging by the audience reaction, and literally by popular demand, we have invited back the four soloists who lifted our performance to new heights."

The returning soloists are soprano Robyn Marie Lamp, mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero, tenor Derrek Stark and bass Edwin Jhamal Davis. Lamp has served as a soloist in Verdi's Requiem at Carnegie Hall and Mechanics Hall and is an ensemble member of the GRAMMY-nominated vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire. Quintero's voice has been praised for "warm, honeyed tones" and she performs frequently with Boston Baroque. Stark has sung with The Metropolitan Opera, Pacific Opera Project and Palm Beach Opera. Davis made his Metropolitan Opera house début in X: The Life & Times of Malcolm X and recently made his Carnegie Hall debut in Mozart's Requiem. The Messiah performance is Saturday, December 5 at 7 p.m. at Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester.

On Sunday, December 20, the Worcester Chorus Women's Ensemble performs its annual Holiday Concert at Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster Street, Worcester. Led by Mark Mummert, the concert features Britten's Ceremony of Carols and Susa's Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest, alongside a program of other holiday classics and sing-alongs. A dessert reception follows the performance. The Women's Ensemble is part of The Worcester Chorus, which has been an important part of Central Massachusetts' musical tradition since its founding in 1858; today the full Chorus numbers approximately 100 professional and amateur singers. The Holiday Concert starts at 4 p.m. and is a Pay What You Wish event — buyers choose from a set of pre-determined price levels, with higher-end tickets helping subsidize those at the lower end.

Founded in 1858, Music Worcester continues its long tradition of presenting internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles to Central Massachusetts, with programming spanning classical, jazz, global traditions and dance. Tickets and information for all Music Worcester events are at musicworcester.org/schedule.