Singing the praises
of ‘Messiah’

By Ruth Rovner
For the Times

The glorious sounds of Handel’s Messiah will ring out from Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center on Friday evening, Dec. 7.
It will be sung by the Singing City Choir as well as students from two high school choirs — Northeast High and Upper Darby. And audience members will be encouraged to join in.
It’s the second annual Messiah Sing-Along, a major event in the Kimmel Center’s holiday programs.
Last year, more than 2,000 people turned out for this festive concert.
Many joined in the singing, and some even brought along their own scores.
Singing City, an all-volunteer choir of 110 singers, is now celebrating its 60th season. They’ve performed the Messiah numerous times in venues near and far.
"It’s a trademark of Singing City," says Angela Scully, executive director of the choir.
Last year was the choir’s first time singing Messiah in Verizon Hall.
"We were surprised, pleased and honored to be invited," says Scully. "This was a chance to bring our brand of community into the city’s premiere performing arts venue."
For the singers, it was a memorable concert. They were accompanied by the massive organ, and guest soloists also performed.
"It was fabulous!" says choir member Claire Huff, who lives in Bustleton. "The space is just awesome, and it was earth-shaking to hear that organ."
The audience participation added even more.
"It was inspiring to look out into the audience and see people of all ages joining together to sing."
She also enjoyed hearing the soloists.
"They were wonderful," she says, noting that choir members have a chance to be the "audience" when the soloists are singing.
"We can listen and appreciate their artistry and vocal technique," says Huff.
The Dec. 7 concert will also feature soloists, including soprano Barbara Shirvis, mezzo-soprano Suzanne DuPlantis, and tenor Bryan Hymel.
The organ will again be a highlight. The accompanying organist will be Nathan Laube. Music director Jeffrey Brillhart will lead the singers through various movements of Messiah.
The two student choirs, including the Northeast High Concert Choir, will add even more.
Both have sung before with Singing City, and they will be on the stage together with the Singing City members.
"Both are outstanding youth choirs," says Scully.
Audience participation will again be encouraged, although non-singers are also welcome. Concertgoers are invited to bring their own scores.
All tickets will be general admission so that audience members who want to sing can sit in sections designated for specific voice parts — soprano, alto, tenor and bass. And they’ll sing along with the choir.
As a longtime choir member, Huff has sung the Messiah with Singing City numerous times and in many venues.
"But every year, you need to look at it with fresh eyes and ears," she says. "Even though it’s familiar, we can draw something new and inspiring each time we sing it."
The singers prepare for this and other concerts with weekly rehearsals every Tuesday evening from September to June. They rehearse in Center City at the First Baptist Church near Rittenhouse Square. In preparation for the Verizon Hall concert, they’ll also have a full-day rehearsal this Saturday. The two high school choirs will also join this rehearsal.
"I’m looking forward to joining forces with young singers who we hope will someday be members of Singing City," says Huff.
Besides the weekly rehearsals, Huff also practices at home.
"You have to do your homework, " she says.
Since she also plays piano, she sits at the keyboard "and I just pluck away and sing," says Huff, who started out as a soprano but is now an alto.
While she rehearses, husband Warren Huff is an appreciative audience of one during these at-home rehearsals.
When the singers perform, they take their role very seriously. But Huff also says that a sing-along concert has a different mood from a traditional concert.
"With an audience that’s only listening, it’s totally different," she says. "A sing-along is more informal and more fun. We’re still doing our best, but with the audience participating, we create a sense of community."
Huff joined Singing City in 1980. At the time, she was attending Combs College, a small conservatory (it has since closed) where she studied voice and piano. When she heard about Singing City from a friend who was a member, she eagerly auditioned for Singing City and was invited to join. She’s been a loyal member ever since, and it’s now been 27 years.
Over the years, she’s participated in memorable concerts, sometimes in far-flung places. Singing City performed in Israel and Egypt in the summer of 1982. In Israel, they were accompanied by the Israel Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta conducting. The same concert also featured violinist Itzhak Perlman as a soloist.
"It’s an incredible honor to share the stage with renowned musicians," she says. "And the audiences were so appreciative."
Another highlight was a trip to Russia in 1990-91. The choir gave holiday concerts during Christmas and New Year’s in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and in Moscow. They were the first Western choir to perform with the Leningrad Philharmonic.
Closer to home, Singing City has performed in New York at Carnegie Hall and in Lincoln Center. And for many years, they were on the stage of the Academy of Music each holiday season, performing in a Messiah concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
In fact, the first time Huff ever sang Messiah with Singing City was at the Academy of Music with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
"I was scared out of my mind," she confesses. "And I had the flu, but I just had to sing."
But besides prestigious concert halls, the singers have also brought the Messiah to homeless shelters, hospitals, schools and nursing homes. For instance, they’ve sung at the Anne Frank School in Bustleton. They’ve also been singing regularly at Inglis House, a Philadelphia residence for the severely disabled.
One unusual experience occurred several years ago when the choir gave a concert at First Baptist Church in Center City. They had rented buses, and after the concert, concertgoers were invited to join them as they gave three community sing-ins at homeless shelters and a retirement home.
"The buses were full, and our guests were thrilled to be included," Huff recalls.
Whether the venue is a care facility or a concert hall, she never tires of singing the Messiah. And she’s eagerly anticipating next week’s Kimmel Center concert.
"It doesn’t feel like the holidays until we’ve sung the Messiah," she says.
"And it never gets old." ••
The Messiah Sing-Along takes place in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. All tickets are $20 and available by calling 215-893-1999 or online at kimmelcenter.com or at the box office.

Deck the halls
with holiday events

• The festive Tuba Christmas! takes place this Saturday starting at 1:30 p.m. in Commonwealth Plaza. This free event features more than 50 tuba and euphonium players from the region who will perform classic carols. Their brass instruments will be decorated with tinsel, mistletoe and ornaments.
• Also this Saturday at 3 p.m. in Verizon Hall, the Vienna Boys Choir sings seasonal classics, oratorios, Viennese waltzes and folk songs from around the world.
• The Grammy award-winning Blind Boys of Alabama present a Christmas show, Go Tell It On The Mountain, on Sunday, Dec 9, at 8 p.m., in Verizon Hall, sharing the bill with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans.
• Philadelphia born jazz musician Gerald Veasley performs holiday favorites in jazz style on Tuesday, Dec 11, at 8 p.m., in Verizon Hall. Other jazz musicians will join him.
• The modern dance company Philadanco presents Xmas Philes Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 13 to 16, in Perelman Theater.
• Hall and Oates make their Kimmel Center debut with a Home for Christmas concert on Monday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m.
Tickets for these events are available by calling 215-893-1999, or online at www.kimmelcenter.org or at the box office at Broad and Spruce streets in Center City.