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Musique Royale announces it’s second winter tour of Handel’s Messiah performed by emerging artists at historic venues in Baddeck, Wolfville and Lunenburg from December 21-23, 2023. For music lovers around the world, Handel’s Messiah brings families together to begin their Christmas celebrations. Annually, it’s the single most performed piece of classical music worldwide (The Guardian). Handel’s masterpiece in its original version was astonishingly written in three to four weeks.

While now it is performed with giant orchestras and choirs, Handel originally wrote Messiah for modest vocal and instrumental forces. Artistic director and soprano Janelle Lucyk has congregated a troupe of young historical performance specialists from across Canada to create this pocket-sized “Messiah-on-the-go” which is aligned towards the original format, and she will be joined by soloists including soprano Ariadne LIh, mezzo-soprano Sarah Myatt, tenor Kerry Bursey, and bass Matthew Li.

Every concert includes a sing-a-long Hallelujah chorus, where our audience is invited to join us, and there is a rehearsal preceding each performance at 6:30 pm to go over the music with director Janelle Lucyk. Scores are provided at the door.

With the Hallelujah chorus as its centerpiece, Messiah can charm any listener, and drawing together some of Canada’s brightest emerging stars, Handel’s powerful music will light up these spaces in December. Musique Royale is grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts for the generous support of this tour.