Friday, November 28th, 7:30 PM
Exciting New 2025 Season
Dear Friends and faithful supporters,
It is with great joy that we announce the continued renewal of our choir with a new Artistic Director and an exciting new concert program for 2025-26. This Christmas Season we continue the tradition of presenting one of the finest performances of Handel's greatest oratorio "Messiah", with full baroque orchestra, auditioned chorus and acclaimed soloists. This is the full, authentic version, just as Handel intended. And with our "up-close-and-personal" setting at St. Mark's Anglican Church in South Surrey, you will be able to feel the vibrations of the instruments. We expect to be sold out so get your tickets early. The perfect way to kick-off the Christmas/Holiday season!
A VERY SPECIAL OFFER TO STUDENTS
As part of our Youth Community Outreach Program..and to celebrate our 60th anniversary....for this concert ONLY.... we have set aside 50 Free tickets for Students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Especially of interest to voice or musical instrument students, but ALL students (show ID at door) are welcome
Next spring (date TBA) we will be performing Mozart's "Solemn Vespers" featuring one the most beautiful Soprano arias in the classical music genre. Then it's on to Vivaldi's magnificent "Magnificat", a melodic masterpiece which demands the best from our singers.
A Special Bonus for Our Loyal Patrons
All regularly priced tickets include a special "Handel Society Perk" of a 15% discount at any of Executive Table's Group's fine restaurants, in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, and Squamish. These fine restaurants regularly score as #1 in Vancouver by Trip Advisor.
TICKET PRICES
Regular – $30
Seniors – $25
All Students - FREE
(50 limit. Show Student ID)
(Sorry, no infants or toddlers)
About "Hidden Gems" (performed May, 2023)
The Ascention Oratorio, (Cantata BWV 11)
This beautiful oratorio inexplicably is not often performed or recorded. This is likely due to its relatively short length (about 30 minutes) relative to Bach’s great Masterpieces such as the Easter Passions and Christmas oratorio. But it is also easily lost among the 240 Cantatas Bach created. We might call it a partially hidden gem.
This story of Jesus’ ascension into Heaven begins in a grand fashion with trumpets and drums leading the Alto aria Ach bleibe doch . We then hear more recitative by the Evangelist, leading to another aria, this time by the Soprano. And the work incorporates two beautiful chorals, finishing off with the grand style with which it opened.
We thank Thee, Lord (Cantata BWV 29)
Bach composed this sacred oratoria in Leipzig in 1731 for a festive church service marking the annual inauguration of a new town council. Bach scored the work in eight movements for four vocal parts and a festive Baroque orchestra. The organ dominates the first movement Sinfonia which Bach derived from a Partita for violin. The full orchestra accompanies the first choral movement and plays with the voices in the closing chorale, while a sequence of three arias alternating with two recitatives is scored intimately.Bach used the music from the choral movement for both the Gratias agimus tibi and Dona nobis pacem of his Mass in B minor.
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