The Messiah, Part 1 and “Hallelujah” Chorus
George Frideric Handel wrote the entire 260-page oratorio in just 24 days in the summer of 1741, using Charles Jennens’ libretto drawn primarily from the King James Bible. The 1742 charity premiere in Dublin not only freed men from debtors’ prison, it reversed Handel’s own fortunes and established his masterpiece as an essential in the choral repertoire.
Soloists
April Amante – Soprano
Tracy Van Fleet – Mezzo Soprano
Benjamin Brecher – Tenor
Ralph Cato – Baritone
Venue
Hahn Hall, Music Academy of the West
1070 Fairway Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Dates
Saturday, December 18, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 19, 3:00 p.m.
Tickets
General admission tickets: $20
VIP tickets: $50
Students: $10
VIP Ticket entitles buyer to an invitation to reserved theater seating and a private, wine and hors d’oeuvres post-concert reception.
SOLD OUT
All purchased tickets will be available for pick up at will call only before each performance. No tickets will be mailed. Thank you.
Please note that all events at Hahn Hall are subject to State, County, and other governmental agency COVID-19 pandemic mandates and regulations covering indoor live events.
Therefore, in an effort to create the safest possible environment for our guests, patrons of all ages (including children 12 years old and younger) must show proof of being fully vaccinated OR supply a negative Covid-19 medical test result (taken within 72 hours prior to each event), along with an official photo ID, before entering Hahn Hall. Masks are required at all times for all patrons and visitors regardless of vaccination status in all indoor spaces.
All purchased tickets will be available for pick up at will call only before each performance. No tickets will be mailed. Thank you.
SOLD OUT
American baritone, Ralph Cato has travelled the world extensively, telling stories in song with his warm, clarion baritone voice.
Tenor, Benjamin Brecher has performed over fifty operatic roles with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, specializing in the high lying lyric tenor repertoire. He has performed 16 roles with New York City Opera alone. Career highlights include performances with Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera de Nice, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, L’Opera de Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among many others. His orchestral solo repertoire includes Mozart, Handel, Orff, Bach, Haydn, as well as many performances of Britten. In 2000 he began performing the great Irish Tenor songs in a concert produced for him entitled A Celtic Celebration, Twenty years later, the show has become a North American hit with performances with 45 Symphonies in North America. Ben continues his discography having added his twelfth recording in 2016 Forgotten Liszt, with pianist Robert Koenig, and will record a new release in 2022 entitled “Three Centuries of Thomas Moore” including the music of Britten, Berlioz, and Sarah Gibson on MSR Classics. He is a Professor of Voice at University of California Santa Barbara, where he has served as the Head of Voice.
Born and raised in Southern California, April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater.
Tracy Van Fleet is pleased to return to the Santa Barbara Choral Society. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lüneburg Symphony in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, Pasadena Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic, USC Symphony and Chorus, and others. She has had many appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Opera Pacific, San Diego Opera and Opera Colorado.