Selections from
Messiah

An Oratorio by G. F. Handel

Hosted by

Valley Light Opera

First Congregational Church, Amherst
Palm Sunday 1999, 3:00 p.m.

Program Order

PART THE FIRST
1.Overture
2.Comfort ye my peopleRecit. (Tenor)
3.Every valley shall be exaltedAir (Tenor)
4.And the glory of the LordChorus
5.Thus saith the LordRecit. (Bass)
6.But who may abide the day of His coming?Air (Bass)
8.Behold, a virgin shall conceiveRecit. (Alto)
9.O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion Air (Alto) and Chorus
12.For unto us a Child is bornChorus
14.There were shepherds abiding in the fieldRecit. (Sop.)
15.And the angel said unto themRecit. (Sop.)
16.And suddenly there was with the angelRecit. (Sop.)
17.Glory to GodChorus
18.Rejoice greatly, O daughter of ZionAir (Sop.)
20.He shall feed His flock like a shepherdAir (Alto)
PART THE SECOND
23.He was despisedAir (Alto)
24.Surely He hath borne our griefsChorus
25.And with His stripes we are healedChorus
26.All we like sheep have gone astrayChorus
44.HallelujahChorus
PART THE THIRD
45.I know that my Redeemer livethAir (Sop.)
47.Behold, I tell you a mysteryRecit. (Bass)
48.The trumpet shall soundAir (Bass)
53.Worthy is the lamb that was slain/AmenChorus

David Kidwell -- Conductor
David is conductor of the Holyoke Civic Symphony, assistant conductor of the Pioneer Valley Symphony, director of music at First Park Memorial Baptist Church in Springfield, and is on the music faculty at the Eaglebrook School. He has been music director for many community theater productions, including three years with Valley Light Opera. He is currently music director for Westfield Theatre Group's production of Camelot.

D. Bruce MacDonald -- Tenor
Bruce has been a tenor soloist since 1974 at churches in Springfield and Longmeadow. He is a former member of the Springfield Symphony Chorus and charter member of the Springfield Chamber Chorus. He is currently involved in High Note Productions and sings for weddings and other special occasions. Bruce is the father of five sons ages 10 to 20. He is a Vocation-Insurance Consultant in Hartford, CT.

Mark W. McNally -- Bass
Mark has appeared with numerous vocal and instrumental ensembles, mostly in Connecticut. Most recently, he has served as soloist with the Hartford, Bristol, and Torrington symphonies, performed principal roles with Manchester Musical Players, Simsbury Light Opera, and Crystal Opera, and is artistic director for the Greater Hartford Opera Ensemble. Upcoming projects include Connecticut productions of Yeomen of the Guard and Don Giovanni, plus a Maryland production of Verdi's Nabucco.

Julie Poole -- Soprano
Julie has sung leading roles for VLO productions of The Gondoliers, Princess Ida, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado, and for Simsbury Light Opera Co. productions of Princess Ida, The Gondoliers, The Mikado, and The Merry Widow. She has worked with Valley Light Opera as an assistant music director, and she sings with the Greater Hartford Opera Ensemble. In May, Julie makes her debut with Commonwealth Opera singing the role of Laurey in Oklahoma!

Mary Jane Schulze -- Mezzo Soprano
Mary Jane appeared as Anna Russell in "How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera" at the 1998 VLO Annual Meeting and University Women’s Benefit. She has appeared in a number of VLO productions, and other credits include the Mother Superior in Nunsense, Mame in Mame, Reverend Mother in The Sound of Music, Miss Hannigan in Annie, and Tisbe in Rossini's Cinderella. She is presently singing with a cabaret troupe called A Class Act. Mary Jane is an elementary school music teacher, president of the Ludlow Educational Association and on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

Orchestra:
Concertmaster -- Tom Schwab
Violin I -- Elizabeth Bowden, John Wcislo, Ronald Weiss
Violin II -- Orca Giarrusso, Randall Giles, Bob McGuigan, Briget Wcislo
Viola -- Joseph Contino, Ellen Dickinson, Nancy Hoople, Judy Hudson
Cello -- Barbara Davis, Janet O'Rourke, Louise Pressman
Bass -- Wyman Harrington, Richard Loomis
Bassoon -- George Howard
Oboe -- Rebecca Doran, Bob Simon
Trumpet -- Ron Bell, John Jenkins
Timpani -- Peter Venman
Keyboard -- Carolyn Holstein