Trinity Church Wall Street's annual performances of Handel's Messiah at Trinity Church have long been a holiday staple in New York City. Five years ago, Trinity branched out to include an annual Messiah performance uptown at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, establishing another holiday tradition. This year, for the first time, the Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, and Director of Music Julian Wachner take their critically acclaimed, historically informed, period-instrument rendition of Handel's most beloved oratorio on the road, first to the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Nov 30) and then to three California cities (Dec 7-10). Returning to New York, they perform the piece twice at Trinity Church (Dec 15 & 18) and in Alice Tully Hall (Dec 19). In a city full of performances of this December favorite, the New York Times declares that Trinity's "revivifying holiday performances of Handel's 'Messiah' ... set the New York standard." Click here to see one of Trinity's 2015 Handel's Messiah performances.
It has been almost 250 years since Trinity Church Wall Street played a role in pioneering the now-beloved oratorio in the New World. Trinity Church was the venue for the second American performance in 1770, and also indirectly played a part in the American premiere eight months earlier. The premiere took place just blocks away from Trinity Church on Broadway at Burns's Coffee House, where the concert served as a fundraiser for Trinity's former organist. Today, Wachner, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra - early music experts who play on period instruments and specialize in Baroque performance practice - rank among the oratorio's foremost exponents. Click here to find out more about the fascinating history of Handel's Messiahat Trinity.
Tickets for the upcoming Messiah concerts are available here and more information about Trinity Wall Street's extensive 2016-17 season is provided here.
Trinity Wall Street
One of the oldest and most vibrant Episcopal parishes, Trinity is located in the heart of Manhattan's Financial District, where it has created a dynamic home for music. Serving as director of Trinity's Music Program - as well as principal conductor of The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the period-instrument Trinity Baroque Orchestra, and contemporary-music ensemble-in-residence NOVUS NY - Julian Wachner also oversees all liturgical, professional, and community music programming at Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel. Music at Trinity ranges from large-scale oratorios to chamber music, and from intimate a cappella singing to jazz improvisation. Many concerts at Trinity are professionally filmed and webcast live at http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/videos. The Rev. Dr. William Lupfer is Rector of Trinity Church Wall Street and the Rev. Phillip Jackson is Vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street.
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