Handel’s Messiah Sing-In

The Messiah Sing-In was conceived and developed in 1967 by Martin Josman, the National Chorale’s Board and a group of New York City choral conductors to celebrate choral singing on a community-wide basis. It was agreed by all that the best way to achieve this was to invite the choral singing community to gather one evening annually during a traditional singing time of the year and to sing a great choral work in a major concert hall under the shared leadership of a team of prominent choral conductors. As a result, the name Messiah Sing-In was created. The December Holiday Season was determined to be the best time of year for the event and Handel’s Messiah was selected as the great choral work with which most singers were familiar. Avery Fisher Hall, the exciting new concert hall in the City in the 1960’s was chosen to be the Sing-In location. The plan attracted the enthusiastic interest of New York’s choral community and the public, and the first Messiah Sing-In took place on Friday evening, December 13, 1967. It was an immediate success and has continued as a joyous, traditional choral community singing event every year since then. Handel’s Messiah Sing-In at Lincoln Center was created as a celebration of choral singing and is today New York City’s most popular Holiday Season Community Music Event.

The audience is the chorus—there is no chorus on stage. Rather than being seated in block SATB sections, the audience is seated “scrambled” so that attending choral groups and participating singers can sit with those whom they came with. Each participant brings a Messiah vocal score, and the sound of the massed mixed vocal parts in a tapestry of song throughout the hall is glorious.

The Sing-In audience-chorus includes singers of all backgrounds who come from throughout New York City, the greater New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area, across the United States and from countries around the world. It includes choral singers who sing in church and temple choirs, community choral organizations, high school, college and alumni choruses, people who formerly sang in choirs and many vocal music lovers who want to spend this one special evening singing and being surrounded by thousands of stereophonic voices, all singing Handel’s great choral masterpiece together.

There are 17 distinguished choral conductors, each of whom, in turn, conducts one chorus accompanied by the Sing-In organist. There also are 4 splendid professional soloists singing some of the best known solos and providing additional musical inspiration. Everett McCorvey, Artistic Director of the National Chorale and the Sing-In, is the host for the performance.

The National Chorale has also presented Handel’s Messiah Sing-In in Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Rochester, NY, Phoenix, Tulsa, Lawrence, WI, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Amphitheater and the Ocean Grove Auditorium, NJ.

Meet the Soloists

Elizabeth M. Guglielmo, Director of Music for NYC Public Schools

Gregory Hopkins, Minister of Music for Harlem's Convent Avenue Baptist Church, Artistic Director for Harlem Opera Theater, Music Director for the Harlem Jubilee Singers and Cocolo Japanese Gospel Choir

James John, Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College-CUNY, Director of Choral Activities; Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble, Artistic Director

Darryl A. Jordan, Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts, Manhattan, Director of Music

Thomas Juneau, Juneau Vocal Alliance, Artistic Director; St. Joseph’s University, NJ, Director of Choral Activities; Summit Chorale, NJ, Music Director; Woodbridge Community Chorale, Conductor

Robert Lanaghan, Choral Director at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, NY

John Maclay, Music Director of the Choral Society

Everett McCorvey, National Chorale, Artistic Director; University of Kentucky Opera Theater, Director; American Spiritual Ensemble, Founder and Director

Dianne Berkun Menaker, Founder and Artistic Director, Brooklyn Youth Chorus

Vagarshak Ohanyan, Conductor, Baritone, Educator, Voice Teacher

Jennifer Pascual, Director of Music, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC

Kathryn E. Schneider, The City Bar Chorus, NY, Music Director and Conductor

Robert J. Seebacher, Music Director and Conductor, Johnson City Symphony Orchestra in Tennessee; Associate Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Programs, Centre College; Assistant Conductor of the National Chorale

Michael Spierman, The Bronx Opera Company, NYC, Artistic Director, Orchestra of the Bronx, Music Director

Jason Tramm, Seton Hall, Director of Choral Activities; Ocean Grove Choir, Artistic Director; Mid-Atlantic Opera Company, Founder

Julius P. Williams, award-winning conductor, composer, recording artist, educator, author, and pianist

Bryan Zaros, Associate Director of Music & Choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City