HANDEL'S MESSIAH and Women's Ensemble Holiday Concerts Will Come to Music Worcester

Music Worcester will present two cherished Central Massachusetts holiday traditions this December. The Worcester Chorus will perform Handel's Messiah on December 5 at Mechanics Hall, followed by the Worcester Chorus Women's Ensemble annual Holiday Concert on December 20 at Trinity Lutheran Church. 

A cornerstone of the region's cultural history, Handel's masterpiece was first performed by The Worcester Chorus during the grand opening weekend of Mechanics Hall in 1858. Over the past several decades, the performance has become a definitive annual tradition, marking the beginning of the holiday season for generations of families throughout New England.

“Last year, we celebrated our long run of Messiahs by hearkening back to time when these arias were sung by larger voices, as opposed to the Baroque specialists we've seen in the last 50 years,” said The Worcester Chorus' Artistic Director Chris Shepard. “Judging by the audience reaction, and literally by popular demand, we have invited back the four soloists who lifted our performance to new heights.”

Soprano Robyn Marie Lamp is a powerful Florida-based soprano, who has served as a soloist in Verdi's Requiem at Carnegie Hall and Mechanics Hall, singing as an ensemble member of the GRAMMY nominated vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire, performing the title role in Puccini's Tosca with the Naples Philharmonic, and singing the role of Adele in Bellini's rarely heard Il pirata at Caramoor's Music Festival with Orchestra of St. Luke's.

Mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero enjoys a career on the operatic and concert stage where her rich voice has been praised for “warm, honeyed tones” (Baltimore Sun), and “fully nuanced” portrayals of characters ranging from Verdi's Amneris, Azucena and Mistress Quickly to the Old Lady in Candide. Ms. Quintero's recent orchestral engagements have included appearances with Boston Baroque—with whom she frequently performs—as well as soloist for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Williamsburg and Columbus Symphonies and the Buffalo Philharmonic with JoAnn Falletta.

Hailed by Opera News for his “handsome sound,” and described as a “standout” by the Wall Street Journal, tenor Derrek Stark has established a reputation as an elegant performer with nuanced and stylish singing. He has sung with The Metropolitan Opera, Pacific Opera Project, Palm Beach Opera and more. Equally at home in concert repertoire, Mr. Stark has performed with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, the Orchestra of Saint Luke's, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in repertoire ranging from Beethoven's 9th Symphony to Orff's Carmina Burana, and Rossini's Petite messe solennelle.​

Praised for his “booming and room-filling bass” (Voce di Meche), basso profondo Edwin Jhamal Davis is an artist on the rise. He made his house débuts at The Metropolitan Opera as Garvey Preacher in X: The Life & Times of Malcolm X and at Seattle Opera as Bass 2, a role he also performed with Opera Omaha. Additionally, he recently made his Carnegie Hall debut in Mozart's Requiem and performed the bass solo in Stravinsky's Pulcinella with the Mainly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center.

On December 20, The Worcester Chorus Women's Ensemble performs their annual Holiday Concert at Trinity Lutheran Church. Led by Mark Mummert, the concert will feature Britten's Ceremony of Carols and Susa's Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest, alongside a program of other holiday classics and sing-alongs. A dessert reception follows the performance.

The Women's Ensemble is part of The Worcester Chorus of Music Worcester, which has been an important part of Central Massachusetts' musical tradition since its founding in 1858. Today, the full Chorus numbers approximately 100 professional and amateur singers from Worcester County and southern New England. Their repertoire also includes other classical choral pieces, opera, musical theater, American folk songs, and more.

Mark Mummert is the director of The Worcester Chorus Women's Ensemble and assistant director & accompanist for The Worcester Chorus. Mark is also Cantor at Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA), Worcester, MA where he leads the music in all worship services, conducts the exceptional Trinity Choir, and is artistic director of the Music at Trinity fine arts series. In addition, Mark serves on the voice faculty at Hanover Theater Conservatory in Worcester. He has served as the Director of Worship at Houston's Christ the King Lutheran Church (2008-2015) and as Seminary Musician at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (1990-2008).

Chris Shepard, the Ruth Susan Westheimer Artistic Director of The Worcester Chorus and Music Worcester's THE COMPLETE BACH. He is also the director of CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists), Connecticut's oldest professional choir in Hartford. A conductor, keyboard player, teacher, and musicologist, his award-winning PhD thesis from the University of Sydney examined the performance history of Bach's B Minor Mass in America. Chris led BACH2010, a project in which his Sydneian Bach Choir & Orchestra presented all of Bach's choral cantatas in Sydney, Australia.