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Hallelujah!
Bask in Handel's inspiring Messiah while surrounded by candlelight and Calvary's magnificent Tiffany stained-glass masterpieces.
All are invited to raise their voices together in a classic holiday choral work during the 6th Annual Handel's Messiah Sing-Along at Calvary United Methodist Church in less than two weeks on Saturday, December 3rd at 4:00pm. Doors open at 3:15pm when volunteers welcome audience members to view the windows and select their seats for the one hour and 15 minute concert. A cookie reception with the artists follows in the Victorian Chapel.
Calvary's Music Director Brian Burns conducts the event which includes four popular regional soloists, a chamber orchestra comprised of some of the area's most accomplished instrumentalists, the Festival Choir soloists, and our historic 1895 Farrand & Votey organ
Messiah tickets are on sale online. Advance purchase is encouraged due to the large audiences we have welcomed in past years. Calvary's five previous presentations of Messiah drew near-capacity attendance.
It's now the sixth presentation of the Baroque oratorio in the sanctuary. The Festival Choir is comprised of many members of Calvary's Renewal Choir and also numerous others who are our guests for this event.
Four popular regional soloists are featured: Anna Singer, Soprano; Kara Cornell, Mezzo-Soprano; George Milosh, Tenor; and Matthew Hunt, Baritone.
David Bridge, a past conductor and organist, is at the parlor organ and Calvary's restored Farrand & Votey organ.
Audience members are asked to bring non-perishable food items and paper products for the pantry at Northside Common Ministries. In addition, we ask you to bring reusable tote-bags (you know, those give-away totes we all collect for grocery shopping, etc...). These are needed for those who use the pantry and are, of course, better for God's earth than plastic bags.
It's a fantastic way to kick off the holiday season, and we invite everyone to join and sing for the joy of it!
Soloists
- Anna Singer, soprano
- Kara Cornell, mezzo-soprano
- George Milosh, tenor
- Matthew Hunt, baritone
Festival Choir Choruses
- And the Glory of the Lord
- O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion
- For Unto Us a Child is Born
- And He Shall Purify
- Glory to God
- Hallelujah Chorus
Tickets
Tickets – Pricing
$15 – General Admission
$10 – Students & Seniors (65 and over)
FREE ADMISSION - Children 12 and under, and members/veterans of the armed services
Tickets – Purchasing
Online
Purchase thru EventBrite on the Calvary website through noon on Friday, December 2nd by clicking on the below link.
We are asking that even “Free Admission” tickets be registered online this year if possible. We will be able to keep track of the audience count this way so we know how many printed tickets should be available.
Printed Tickets
On sale at Calvary UMC after morning worship beginning Sunday, October 16. Tickets will also be provided to Messiah Choir members to sell and collect payments for tickets sold.
Day of Concert
At the door (cash, check, or credit cards accepted).
Please Note
Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended to avoid the crunch at the door.
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Parking
Special Needs Parking
- Lot behind the church for easy access to the handicap ramp
- On street directly in front of the church (Allegheny Avenue) for easy access to front doors
Event Parking
- "Presbytery" lot between Dounton Way and Western Avenue
- "Off The Floor" lot directly across from the front of the church
- Vacant lot behind the row houses next to "Off The Floor" lot (Caution: gravel and tripping hazards)
- Lot on Behan Street
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Meet the Director
Brian Burns, Music Director & Conductor
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Brian Burns is a long-time Pittsburgh resident and a native of Armstrong county. There, he began playing the Hammond organ in church at the age of 12. While attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania as a piano major, he was introduced to the pipe organ and changed his major to organ performance under the direction of the late Dr. Carol Teti. He was one of the first recipients of the Carol Teti Memorial Scholarship. His undergraduate work was completed with Dr. Christine Clewell in 2001. He served at several churches including St. Bernard's (Indiana, PA) and Ford Memorial United Methodist Church (Ford City, PA). Brian worked for three years with local organ builder Harry Ebert before discovering Calvary United Methodist Church where he used his skills to guide the restoration of Calvary's historic 1894 Farrand & Votey organ. Brian currently directs Calvary's Renewal Choir, Festival Choir, Children’s Music Group, Calvary’s Bell Choir, and plays for all of Calvary's services.
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Anna Singer appeared with Palm Beach Opera Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall and as soprano soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 throughout Europe, most recently in Lisbon with the Orquestra Sinfonica Portugesa. Ms. Singer made her Carnegie Hall main stage debut with Manhattan Philharmonic. She has sung with New York City Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and the opera companies of Cleveland, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, and Fort Worth, among others. Her many roles with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh include her acclaimed SummerFest performances as Hannah in The Merry Widow and Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music. Anna has sung leads in such operas as Tosca, Salome, Aida, Susannah, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, La Boheme, Le Nozze di Figaro, Lohengrin, Die Walkure, and Die Fledermaus, among others.
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For Microscopic Opera, she recently performed the role of Madame Lisette in Therese Racquin, among others. Anna made her Carnegie Hall recital debut as a result of her first prize-winning at the Center for Contemporary Opera Vocal Competition. She was awarded First Prize at the Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Dicapo Opera Theatre Vocal Competition, among many others. Heard on air as mid-day host on WQED-FM, Anna is soprano soloist for The Presbyterian Church, Sewickley. A popular soloist and recitalist, she is honored to return for our Messiah for the fifth consecutive year.
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Kara Cornell, Mezzo-Soprano
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Kara Cornell is a classically trained singer who is becoming nationally known as a cross-over artist, performing a wide range of stage roles and musical styles. Her fearless acting and honest emotional interpretations have made her quite believable as a variety of characters, including her intense gypsy “Carmen” (Hubbard Hall Opera Theater, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Long Island Opera), a sweet ingénue “Cinderella” (St. Petersburg Opera) to a dashing pants role “Orfeo” (Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Mosaic-Arts). This year Kara made her Pittsburgh Opera debut in LITTLE WOMEN, was soloist with the Akron Symphony, reprised the title role in CARMEN with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and Long Island Opera. Kara also has a busy concert schedule; most recently touring a world premiere solo song recital entitled “Creative Collaborations”.
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In 2017 Kara will make her Winter Opera St. Louis debut in CARMEN, perform in her first FALSTAFF with Resonance Works | Pittsburgh and will be a guest soloist in Dvořák’s STABAT MATER with The Berkeley Chorus and Orchestra. Kara is an eastern NY native who relocated with her husband to Pittsburgh (O'Hara Township) in 2015, where she maintains an active private voice studio.
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George Milosh is a native of Aliquippa, PA, and a graduate of the Boston Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance. Since graduating from the Conservatory, George has been seen performing with multiple ensembles and companies throughout the Pittsburgh area. As a member of the professional core of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, he has been featured as a soloist on their performances of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Beethoven’s Mass in C, and Bach’s St. John Passion, the latter two with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. On stage, George has been seen as Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Undercroft Opera, in the trio in Trouble in Tahiti with Resonance Works Pittsburgh, in Frida with Microscopic Opera, and as a member of the Pittsburgh Opera chorus. Also a burgeoning conductor, George is a former choir director at St. Elijah Serbian Orthodox Church, assistant conductor of Tsar Lazar Serbian Men's Choir, and has prepared choirs for Resonance Works and Undercroft Opera. George is a member of the Chancel Choir at Shadyside Presbyterian Church, is a student of Sari Gruber, and is proud Ravenclaw. He is honored to return for our Messiah for the second consecutive year.
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Matthew Hunt has performed with vocal ensembles in the United States, England, and Italy, with a focus on oratorio works. In addition to performing as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Matthew’s oratorio credits include Lucifero in Alessandro Stradella’s Esule dalle Sfere, Pilatus in Bach's St. John Passion, and Lucifero in Handel's La Resurrezione. In Pittsburgh, he performed the role of Le Surintendant in the 2015 Resonance Works production of Cendrillon and also performed in the 2014 production of L'elisir d'amore. He is a member of the professional core of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and has performed with them as a soloist in Giacomo Carissimi's Jephte, Beethoven's Mass in C, Rossini's Petite messe solennelle, and Durufle's Requiem. He is honored to return for our Messiah for the fourth consecutive year.
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An Annual Pittsburgh Tradition
Pictures from Past Messiah Concerts
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