Choral Society tackles challenging Elijah

After a successful premiere of conductor A. Dale Wood's Christmas Cantata, Noel, Noel, the Georgetown Choral Society is currently rehearsing a spectacular piece of music by one of the great composers of the 18th century. This spring concert will prove to be exceptional as the choir tackles a very challenging composition entitled Elijah, by Felix Mendelssohn. This will be quite an accomplishment considering that a work of this magnitude is often performed by large choirs out of Toronto! Mendelssohn's portrays the biblical account of the prophet, Elijah in the book of Kings. The work is known to be Mendelssohn's masterpiece in the music world and is second in popularity to Handel's Messiah. It was first performed in 1846 to over 2,000 people at the Birmingham Festival and was conducted by Mendelssohn himself. The ovation at the end of this performance lasted 20 minutes and the choir continued to perform four more chorus pieces and solos as encores. In this day it was rare for any oratorios to receive an ovation but, this piece became the exception! The story of Elijah was a subject that Mendelssohn had long wanted to set to music and he greatly enjoyed the work's success before his untimely death the following year aged only 38.

We are pleased to be joined by popular Canadian baritone, Bruce Kelly who will be singing the role of Elijah. World renowned tenor, Mark Dubois portrays Obadiah and soprano Corinne Lynch sings arias throughout the work. Sara Wilkinson, a member of the Georgetown Children's Chorus, plays the role of a youth sent to watch out to sea when Elijah calls on God to open the heavens and send rain. Alto Susan Cooper portrays the role of an angel and her major solo, O Rest in the Lord is one of the most famous arias among the great composers. The chorus or choir represents the people or the Priests of Baal which musically intertwines the roles played by the soloists through a call and answer style of singing. In order to bring this work to life in the manner in which Mendelssohn intended, the choir is also joined by members of the Georgetown Children's Chorus and Achill Choral Society. All combined totalling a spectacular 150 voices strong. Supporting accompaniment will be with the Valen Ensemble from Toronto, and Georgetown's Christopher Dawes, organist. For over 30 years the Choral Society has brought exciting musical performances to Georgetown and in May we are pleased to be bringing you Elijah. If you are looking for an exciting night out without having to leave your hometown and pay for expensive concert tickets, then join us at the Georgetown Christian Reformed Church, 11611 Trafalgar Rd. on Friday, May 5, at 8 p.m. or Saturday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices $20 for adults, $15 for senior/students and may be purchased at Bergsma's Paint & Wallpaper (Georgetown Marketplace Mall) and the Freckled Lion Children's Book Store (Main St., Georgetown) or from any choir member. Please visit our website at www.georgetownchoral.ca for more information.