Soprano Aundi Marie Moore
Photo | Elman Studio
The National Philharmonic will perform Handel’s Messiah on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. A second performance takes place Sunday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m.
The holiday program, conducted by Music Director Piotr Gajewski, features four soloists—soprano Aundi Marie Moore, mezzo soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Norman Shankle, and baritone Jorell Williams—and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.
Messiah has been a National Philharmonic tradition for many seasons but this year Gajewski has reimagined the performances. There will be simple staging in which the soloists move about freely in front of the orchestra and interact with the audience as they tell stories contained within the oratorio.
A free pre-concert set performed by the Scotland A.M.E. Zion Mass Choir will begin one hour prior to the Messiah performances in Strathmore’s lobby area. Also in the lobby, patrons will find a learning table with resources from the Library of Congress to continue discussions and reflection around Handel’s link to the slave economy.
National Philharmonic will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Scotland A.M.E. Zion church to support the ongoing efforts to repair damages done in a flood in 2019.
Tickets are currently on sale at nationalphilharmonic.org and range in cost from $19 – $109. Young people age 7-17 attend all National Philharmonic concerts at the Music Center at Strathmore free of charge.
Photo credit Elman Studio.
