Local choirs prepare for 23rd performance of ‘Messiah’

WASILLA — Mat-Su Community Chorus, Mat-Su Messiah Choir and Orchestra present the 23rd annual Handel’s Messiah performance at 6 p.m., April 6 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 821 E. Dellwood St., Wasilla, next to Wasilla High School.

The performance is free and the facility can hold up to 1,000 people.

“This is the first year for a combined choir and two directors and this has been the largest orchestra we have had,” said event coordinator Kristen Fry. “It has been a pleasant experience.”

Jamin Burton, band teacher at Colony High School and director of the largest marching band in Alaska, will direct half of the performance and the orchestra. Megan Webb, conductor of the Mat-Su Community Choir and band teacher at Wendler Middle School, will direct the other half. The choirs practiced separately until last week, when more than 80 choir members got together for the first time with the 25-member orchestra. Wasilla violinist Shonti Elder is concert mistress and the pianist is Koreen Robinson of Wasilla.

“It is a treat to join with the Mat-Su Community Choir,” said Dixie Hansen of Palmer, who sings alto in the choir. Many of the performers have made it a tradition, but she is the only member of the choir to have sung at all 23 performances. Her husband, Mark Hansen, is a close second, participating in all but one performance.

“I keep coming back,” said Dorothy Hight, who has sung and soloed in 21 of the performances. “When I first moved out to the Valley I saw a poster, so I came to the tryouts and got a solo. Since then, I have had 21 solos, about a dozen different songs. This year I will sing, ‘How Beautiful Are the Feet.’”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints sponsored the community event during the Christmas season for its first 20 years. This will be the third year for an Easter program.

“Performing in the ‘Messiah’ makes Easter special,” said Pat Martin, a violinist from Palmer.

Written in 1741, Handel tells the story of the Savior’s life; the words for the ‘Messiah’ are taken directly from the scriptures found in the Old and New Testaments.

“You can read something in the Bible, but when you put it to music you will never forget it,” said an emotional Mark Hansen of Palmer. A featured soloist for many years, this year he will sing “The People That Walked in Darkness.”

Besides the choral and instrumental numbers, eight soloists will be featured. The youngest, 10-year-old Emily Owens of Palmer, will sing “Angel Recits.” This is her first year singing in the choir, but she is no stranger to the music; her parents, Dan and Valerie Owens, have sung in the ‘Messiah’ for the past 10 years with older siblings joining in their teen years.

“I have been coming to practices as long as I can remember and we sing tons at home. I do it all the time and I love it,” Emily said. “I like to pay attention to the words in the ‘Messiah’ and to the meanings. I like the music. It is fun to sing and lifts your spirits. One of my favorites is the last song we will sing, ‘Worthy is the Lamb.’”

She said she is not worried about performing in front of a large group.

“I have done plays for VPA and I am good in front of people,” Owens said .

This year, five members of the Owens family will participate, including Jessica, 17, who also will be featured in a solo performance of “He Shall Feed His Flock.”