This performance of Handel's "Messiah" by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, featuring the Mendelssohn Choir, is sold out. We thank you for your support and look forward to our continued partnership with the PSO.
LATROBE, PA—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Maestro Manfred Honeck, will perform George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica. Prior to the performance, a reception will be held at 5:30 in DiPadova Hall.
Elena Villalón, soprano; Reginald Mobley, counter tenor; John Matthew Meyers, tenor; and Andrew Foster-Williams, bass-baritone, will accompany the Orchestra and Choir as featured soloists.
First performed on April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Ireland, “Messiah” didn’t have its premier in London until nearly a year later and has since become regarded as one of the best-known and most frequently performed oral works in Western music. The text that accompanies Handel’s composition was written by Charles Jennens, who utilized the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter to compose the libretto. The work consists of three parts, and there will be one intermission following part one.
Handel, whose reputation had been established predominantly by his compositions of Italian opera, composed “Messiah” in 1741. It was his sixth work in the English oratorio genre.
General admission tickets to the performance are $25. Tickets for the performance and pre-concert reception are $125, which includes reserved seating. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.eventsquid.com/event/22066. Contact the Office of Events and Conference Services with any questions at 724-532-5030 or events@stvincent.edu.
About the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Now in its 128th season, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is credited with a rich history of engaging the world’s finest conductors and musicians and demonstrates a genuine commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Known for its artistic excellence for more than a century, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been led by its worldwide acclaimed Music Director Manfred Honeck since 2008; past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), André Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1997-2004).
The Orchestra has always been at the forefront of championing new works, including recent commissions by Mason Bates, Stacy Garrop, James MacMillan, Wynton Marsalis, Jessie Montgomery and Julia Wolfe, in addition to performing the premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1944 and John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” in 1986.The two-time 2018 GRAMMY® Award-winning orchestra has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and live radio broadcasts. Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have received multiple GRAMMY® nominations for Best Orchestral Performance, taking home the award in 2018 for their recording of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony has been broadcast on the radio. The orchestra has received increased attention since 1982 through national network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Lauded as the Pittsburgh region’s international cultural ambassador, the orchestra began regular touring in 1896 and has embarked on scores of domestic and international tours. In the summer of 2022, Music Director Manfred Honeck led the orchestra on an extensive and highly acclaimed tour of Europe, celebrating 75 years of international touring for the Orchestra. In 2020, the Pittsburgh Symphony welcomed Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling, only the second person in that role in the Orchestra’s history, following Marvin Hamlisch. A conductor, trumpet virtuoso, singer and actor, Stripling has been a featured soloist with Pops orchestras across the country. He has performed with jazz notables from the Count Basie Orchestra and the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton and more. Since his first concert as Principal Pops Conductor (an online performance in October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic), he has continued to lead many Pops concerts and Learning & Engagement programs such as Fiddlesticks and Schooltime.
PHOTO 1: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs in Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica
PHOTO 2: Maestro Manfred Honeck, Photo by George Lange