RICCO Presents Handel’s Messiah in Providence & Manville, Featuring Collaboration with Brown University Chorus
Two performances bring together generations of singers, exceptional young soloists, and a fresh interpretation of Handel’s masterpiece.
The Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra (RICCO) will present two performances of Handel’s complete Messiah this December, including its first-ever collaboration with the Brown University Chorus. Performances are Saturday, December 5, at 7:00 PM at All Saints Memorial Church in Providence, and Sunday, December 6, at 3:00 PM at St. James Church in Manville.
Under Artistic Director Joshua Rohde, RICCO will perform the entire work, rather than the familiar Christmas selections and Hallelujah Chorus featured in many holiday concerts. Audiences will experience the full emotional range of Handel’s masterpiece, brought to life through expressive phrasing, dynamics, and musical interpretation.
“Every line, every phrase has nuance and life,” says Rohde. “We are committed to doing a curated performance of the entire work, where we’re living in the music, living the notes, understanding them in a fresh light today.”
That approach has become a hallmark of RICCO’s performances.
“The comment I get more often than not is, ‘Oh yes, I know this movement, but I’ve never heard it done this way,’” Rohde says.
The collaboration with Brown University Chorus brings another dimension to RICCO’s mission of engaging communities through music.
“Here we are bringing together people in our Chorale who’ve performed Messiah 30 times with a new generation of singers, many of whom will be experiencing the complete work for the first time,” says Rohde. “The partnership celebrates both musical excellence and the connections between generations of musicians.”
The concerts will also feature winners of RICCO’s Collegiate Vocal Competition, selected from talented young singers across New England. Previous winners have gone on to professional careers performing in opera houses and concert halls internationally.
“It’s amazing and wonderful to know that we got to see them as they were just hitting their stride,” says Rohde.
Accompanied by RICCO’s orchestra of accomplished professional musicians, these performances offer audiences something beyond a holiday tradition – the opportunity to experience a familiar masterpiece in a fresh, thrilling way.
Saturday, December 5 7:00 PM. All Saints Memorial Church, Providence, RI (With the Brown University Chorus.)
Sunday, December 6 3:00 PM. St. James Church, Manville, RI.
For tickets and more information, visit RICCO’s website https://www.ricco.org.