Be transformed by one of history’s most treasured oratorios on the eve of Thanksgiving. Handel’s Messiah, with its soaring arias, memorable choruses, and hallmark Baroque flourish, is perhaps music’s most enduring message of hope. You won’t want to miss this season’s offering.
Handel
Messiah
The Santa Fe Symphony & Chorus
Carmen Flóres-Mansi, choral director
Ingela Onstad, soprano
Stephanie Foley Davis, mezzo-soprano
Jacob Ryan Wright, tenor
Michael Hix, baritone
Of Note
Handel completed this monumental work in just over three weeks.
The first performance, given in Dublin in 1742, was held as a benefit concert for local charities. To allow for the largest of crowds, gentlemen were asked to remove their swords; ladies were requested not to wear hoops in their dresses.
The original performances in Dublin and London used the customary Baroque forces of only 15 musicians and perhaps 35 singers. By the mid-19th century, humongous performances of Messiah became fashionable, including concerts in New York and Boston with choruses of more than 500—and a concert in London with 2,000 voices and a 500-strong orchestra!
Ingela Onstad, soprano
Soprano Ingela Onstad has enjoyed a varied international career in opera, concert work, and contemporary music. Operatic highlights include performances at Dresden’s Staatsoperette, Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Landestheater Schleswig-Holstein, and Santa Fe Opera in roles including Musetta in La bohème and Pamina and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte.
Stephanie Foley Davis, mezzo-soprano
Stephanie Foley Davis was praised byThe New York Timesfor her Glimmerglass Festival debut in The Tender Land as “a poised, touching Ma Moss" and Opera News said she was “a loving, careworn Ma, warm of voice and presence." Ms. Davis subsequently returned to Glimmerglass to create the role of Mary McCarthy in the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s A Blizzard in Marblehead Neck.
Jacob Ryan Wright, tenor
Praised for his “smashing Piedmont Opera debut as Frederic” in Pirates of Penzance, American tenor Jacob Ryan Wright is known for his bright, supple tone and charismatic performances in both operatic and concert repertoire. This season, Jacob makes his Dayton Opera debut with a return to the role of Frederic in Pirates of Penzance and as First Jew in Strauss' epic Salome.
Michael Hix, baritone
Baritone Michael Hix has been praised by critics for his "expressive voice" and "commanding stage presence." His career highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and Vienna’s Musikverein. Hix is a sought after performer of concert and orchestral works with over 50 oratorio/cantata/concert roles in his repertoire.