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Winnipeg audiences will experience several iterations of G.F. Handel’s beloved Messiah over the next number of weeks, with performances ranging from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s offering at the Centennial Concert Hall through to several community presentations. The latter style of presentation will commence this weekend with singers and musicians from Westminster United Church hosting A Sing-Along Messiah in its second floor loft space.
“It’s a lot of fun,” says returning soprano soloist Sonia Campbell. “The entire chorus is just community members that really love this work. It’s a really warm atmosphere.”
Baritone Jayden Fraser will be participating in his very first Messiah soloist turn with his Westminster United colleagues. He says that he’s excited to have this opportunity to debut the iconic solos contained in the work in the warm atmosphere that Campbell describes. “There’s a little bit of flexibility,” he explains, “in terms of, ‘OK, this is an event where the goal is to share the music,’ and I can really frame and be together in creating this experience.”
“The face that at the end of the day, the goal is to come together to make this music as opposed to go on stage and show off – which can sometimes be the impetus – I think will be really helpful in me honing in on what our goal is on Sunday.”
In addition to being a community gathering experience, A Sing-Along Messiah is an invitation to support Westminster United’s music program, one of the oldest such programs in the city. Campbell, who has been a part of the church’s music program for four years, notes that donations help the choir to maintain a high standard of performance and service despite the challenges facing the church, most notable of which is the ongoing closure of its iconic sanctuary space due to structural deficiencies.
“Performing this piece in our second-floor space really embodies the perseverance of this church community,” she says, “the way that they are just continuing to move forward… finding ways to continue to make this music happen.”
For Fraser, this music program has a personal connection far beyond himself. “When I started working at Westminster as a soloist just earlier this year, I told my parents about it and my mom told me that that’s actually where my great-grandparents met,” he shares. “A hundred years later, here I am singing at this church that is one of the reasons that I exist.”
A Sing-Along Messiah at Westminster United Church takes place at 3 p.m. on November 30. More information is available at the church’s website.
