Department of Music

The McIntire Department of Music presents the University Singers performing Handel's Messiah on Saturday, April 12th, 2014 at 8pm in Old Cabell Hall.
 

Join us April 12th at 8:00 pm as the University Singers, the University of Virginia’s premiere choral ensemble, present Handel’s Messiah in a complete performance of all three parts of this extraordinary and beloved work.  First premiered on April 13, 1742 (exactly one year before the birth of UVa founder Thomas Jefferson), the oratorio offers the famous choruses and solos of the Christmas section, the Hallelujah Chorus concluding the Passion section, and the final scenes envisioning the future, capped by the beautiful Amen fugal chorus.  The performance will be led by UVa faculty conductor Michael Slon, and will feature professional orchestra, and soloists Christina Pier, Cherry Duke, Randall Black, and David Newman. 

The University Singers is the premier mixed-voice chorus at UVa, and recently gave acclaimed performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Verdi’s Requiem in Charlottesville.  Founded in 1957, the group performs a cappella and accompanied choral literature ranging from chant to major choral-orchestral works, and the works of contemporary composers.  Recent repertoire has also included Bach's Mass in B minor, the Bernstein Chichester Psalms, and Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, as well as shorter pieces by Britten, Pierce, Lauridsen, and Whitacre.  Recent trips have taken the group to Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Charleston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Providence,and the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.  Other recent highlights have included: performances with the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, including the popular Family Holiday Concerts; concerts and workshops with Bobby McFerrin, Meredith Monk, and members of the Tallis Scholars; and a performance for Hillary Clinton.  In 2010, the University Singers were chosen as the sole collegiate chorus to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) Conference.

A frequent soloist at UVa, soprano Christina Pier is a 2003 Met National Council Auditions winner, and has been heard with opera companies and symphonies across North America, including the Santa Fe Opera and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.  Mezzo Cherry Duke has sung numerous operatic roles including with New York City Opera and the Ash Lawn Opera Festival, and also has been a featured concert soloist at Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall.  Tenor Randall Black has performed Handel’s Messiah with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and is acclaimed for his performances of the Evangelist in the Bach Passions.  Baritone David Newman’s repertoire includes performances of Messiah with Tafelmusik and the Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Bach Passions with the American Bach Soloists, Carmel Bach Festival, and Washington Bach Consort. 

Active as a conductor of choral, orchestral, and operatic repertoire, Michael Slon is currently Conductor of the University Singers and Chamber Singers, and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Virginia where he was named a member of the Mead Honored Faculty for 2006-2007. Recent repertoire with the choruses has included Orff's Carmina Burana, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Mozart's Mass in C minor, the Palestrina Missa Brevis, Bach's Cantata 150, Britten's Hymn to St. Cecelia and a range of shorter a cappella and accompanied works. After substituting on one hour's notice for a January 2005 performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, Mr. Slon also served for a year as Interim Director of the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, leading performances of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, Mahler's Symphony No. 4, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and Copland's Appalachian Spring. Together with former Symphony Executive Director Bill Martin, he also launched the University Singers-CUSO Family Holiday Concerts.

Tickets for the concerts are $15 general/$5 students (UVa students may reserve a free ticket in advance), and are available at the UVa Arts Box Office in the Culbreth building, online at http://tickets.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu or by calling (434) 924-3376.  Tickets will also be available at the door. 

In addition, a special benefit ticket is being offered for $150, which includes admission to the concert, a pre-concert reception, and a donation.  All proceeds support the upcoming University Singers international tour.  For more information, contact Erin Hall at hall@virginia.edu or (434) 243-9180. 

Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic Lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda.  Parking is available in at the Central Grounds Parking Garage, or in the lots off University Avenue at the University Corner.  Handicapped parking is available in the C1 parking lot or in designated spaces on McCormick Avenue.For more information please call the McIntire Department of Music at 434.924.3052.