2011 Do-It-Yourself Messiah Tickets Available At Harris Theater

On Monday, December 19 and Tuesday, December 20, the Do-It-Yourself Messiah, presented by the International Music Foundation, will take place at the Harris Theater. This famed holiday tradition, where the audience serves as the chorus and is accompanied by an orchestra and world-class soloists, celebrates its 36th year with these two performances of George Frederic Handel's masterpiece, Messiah.

The performances have been made possible through generous sponsorships from CNA Foundation, Wintrust Financial Corp., the Polk Bros. Foundation, and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust. Beginning at noon on Tuesday, November 15, $10 tickets may be purchased at the Harris Theater Box Office located at 205 E. Randolph, by phone at 312-334-7777, or on-line at www.harristheaterchicago.org.

The audience, seated according to voice range, sings the choral part of the piece, and will be joined by a full orchestra of volunteer musicians, four professional soloists - soprano Tamara Matthews, mezzo-soprano Jill Grove, tenor John Tessier, and bass-baritone Mark S. Doss - and with world-renowned Maestro Stanley Sperber on the podium.

Performances of the Do-It-Yourself Messiah will begin at 7 p.m. on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. Patrons may take their seats in the theater, located at 205 E. Randolph, beginning at 6:15 p.m. The Messiah performance lasts approximately two and a half hours. For more information, visit the International Music Foundation website at www.imfchicago.org.

Messiah

Composed in 1741 by George Frederic Handel, Messiah is a large-scale piece for orchestra, chorus and soloists. Originally intended as an Easter oratorio, it has become more popularly associated with the Christmas holiday season. A small church in rural England began the "do-it-yourself" part more than 40 years ago. Al Booth, founder of the International Music Foundation, was an early participant and brought the idea home to Chicago where he and Margaret Hillis, then director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, staged the first event in 1976.

The International Music Foundation (IMF) was founded in 1979 by Chicagoan Al Booth as the umbrella organization for two of his music projects: the Do-It-Yourself Messiah and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert series, both now cornerstones of the Chicago musical scene. In 1981, with the help of Yehudi Menuhin, the IMF added Live Music Now!, a concert series for children in the Chicago Public Schools. For more information please visit, www.imfchicago.org.