12th Annual Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along Concert

HALLELUJAH!

Bask in Handel's inspiring Messiah while surrounded by candlelight and Calvary's magnificent Tiffany stained-glass masterpieces.

This will be our 12th year bringing this Calvary tradition to the Pittsburgh North Side/Shore area. Our interactive, family-friendly, sell-out concert features professional opera soloists Anna Singer (soprano), Kara Cornell (mezzo-soprano), Kirk Dougherty (tenor), and Matthew Hunt (baritone), as well as a Chamber Orchestra, Festival Choir, and our historic 1895 Farrand & Votey organ. The concert is followed by a reception onsite in our Victorian Chapel.

In 2018 our Festival Choir caught the attention of DCINY (Distinguished Concerts International New York) and was invited to sing the Messiah at Carnegie Hall in New York City over Thanksgiving weekend. We were invited back last year to perform again over Thanksgiving weekend 2023! It was also well-deserved recognition for our choir members' accomplishments since the concert began in 2011, and it was a dream come true - something many of us never thought possible.

We will be performing the “Christmas” portion of Messiah. Calvary's Music Director Brian Burns conducts the event which includes popular regional soloists, a chamber orchestra comprised of some of the area's most accomplished instrumentalists, and the Festival Choir. David Bridge, a past conductor and organist, is at the parlor organ and Calvary's restored 1895 Farrand & Votey organ. The concert is followed by a cookie reception in the Victorian Chapel.

The concert is family-friendly - each child 12 and under will receive an activity pack. This concert is also a sing-along. As an audience member you are not required to sing, but you are certainly invited to sing along on each of the eight choruses sung by the Festival Choir.

We also offer this concert in support of outreach ministries on Pittsburgh's Northside. This year, as in years past, we ask audience members to bring toilet paper and paper towels and extra shopping tote bags for Northside Common Ministries Food Pantry. Also, tickets are given to neighborhood schools, smaller churches, and other local organizations.

It's a fantastic way to kick off the holiday season, and we invite everyone to join in and sing for the joy of it!