Choir & Orchestra Thrill Audience with Handel’s Messiah

In eager anticipation of the celebration of Christ’s Nativity, the Thomas Aquinas College Choir and Orchestra performed Handel’s Messiah on December 5.

Students, faculty, and friends of the College made their way to St. Cecilia Hall for the most recent installation of the St. Vincent De Paul Lecture and Concert Series: the annual Advent Concert, directed by Daniel Grimm (’76). The choral-orchestral ensemble included students, alumni, faculty members, and other visiting musicians who prepared for the concert for months in advance. Finally, their hard work came to fruition in a breathtaking rendition of Handel’s masterpiece. 

The ensemble performed the entirety of the Messiah, pausing for a brief intermission halfway through. Several members of the choir performed the various dramatic solos throughout the work, including eleven 11 soloists. 

That night, Mr. Grimm’s ensemble brought the audience on a riveting journey through the time of Christ and the Church’s liturgical year, which is the foundational structure of the Messiah: from the Nativity of Christ in Advent, to His ministry, to the sorrows of Lent and the joys of Easter, all the way to the end of time. After nearly three hours of performance, the orchestra concluded with the triumphant and extravagant “Worthy is the Lamb,” and the starstruck audience responded with a thunderous standing ovation. 

Afterward, chorus and orchestra members gathered outside the auditorium to visit with family and friends, many of whom came bearing beautiful bouquets for the performers. Soloist Nick Zepeda (’28) exclaimed, “I love the Messiah. It’s one of my favorite works, and it’s such an honor to get to sing in it!” 

More Messiah photos …

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