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Area musicians to perform Handel’s Messiah

Submitted photo A past performance in Minot of Handel’s Messiah.

Area musicians will perform Handel’s Messiah at 4 p.m. Sunday in Minot State University’s Ann Nicole Nelson Hall.

Carlos Vieira, director of choral activities at Minot State University is the director of the performance, which includes volunteers throughout the community.

The performance of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has been a holiday tradition in Minot for decades.

Vieira said immigrants from Norway and Sweden brought their strong choral singing tradition with them to Minot and the tradiiton has persisted.

The Heritage Singers and Minot Singers of Note have strongly promoted the performance as well.

“There will be five soloists this year,” said Vieira.

Four of the soloists were chosen from open auditions that were held last week and one soloist is a teacher from Minot State’s vocal department.

“We’re going to have 80 singers of all ages,” said Vieira. Some are high school students and others are people who have performed the Messiah for decades.

“Even some of the singers who have been performing for more than 50 years have very fresh, energetic (voices),” said Vieira, who has been impressed by the quality of the singers during the few rehearsals they have held.

Handel’s Messiah is too long to perform the entire piece, said Vieira. The performance on Sunday will include the first part of the piece, focusing on the prophecies leading to the birth of Jesus Christ.

People who attend Sunday will be able to enjoy one of the staples of Christmas and the most celebrated masterpiece of the whole history of sacred choral music, said Vieira.

Admission is free, but a free will offering that will go toward a scholarship fund in the name of Ken and Devera Bowles will be accepted.

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