‘Messiah’ community sing-along is today

WASILLA — Local musicians have organized a nondenominational Easter sing-along that will include several pieces from the “Messiah” today from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel at 901 Bogard Road.

Valerie Owens sings in the community choir and has helped organize the event. She said the change is an effort to highlight the Easter season and move the performance away from the overly busy Christmas season.

“It’s a big task. We want it to be a joy, not a burden,” Owens said.

Instead of a choral performance of music from Handel’s “Messiah,” the audience will receive copies of music at the door and will be invited to sing along with the choir, she said.

“That’s the biggest difference this year; it’s a sing-along,” Owens said. “We’ll pass out music at the door. And if they want to, they can take it home and practice for next year.”

In addition to four pieces from the “Messiah,” the free, one-hour event includes other traditional Easter hymns by the congregation and local choirs, and narration of the Easter story from the Bible.

For Owens, this is her fourth year performing music from the “Messiah” with the community choir and the 21st year for the choir as a whole, she said.

When the group performs the work at Christmas, she said it tends to focus on the parts of the work that tell the story of Jesus’ birth. For the Easter sing-along, Owens said the four songs featured tell the resurrection story.

“To perform the entire thing would be about a four-hour performance,” she said.

Directing the choir is Amber Anderson of Palmer, who also has recruited half a dozen of her family members to sing in the choir, Owens said.

Pianist Sue Ann Rosing will provide accompaniment.

“Sue Ann is a fantastic pianist,” Owens said. “It’s incredibly difficult to play the ‘Messiah’ on the piano.”

Owens said she had her doubts when someone suggested presenting the ‘Messiah’ as a sing-along.

“I looked online and they do it all over the country,” she said of the sing-along idea. “We haven’t prepared so much to perform as to provide background for everyone to sing along.”

She said she hopes the idea might encourage more people to join the community choir.

Kerry Burr is a choir member and the high counselor over activities and music for the Wasilla, Alaska Stake. He said he participates in the Christmas “Messiah” concert and decided to be a part of the Easter performance, too.

“I’ve been waking up with these songs going thorough my head. It’s been kind of interesting,” he said.

He said he’s had fun getting ready for the Easter sing-along and that he looks forward to doing it again next year, too.

“Hopefully it will get more people out to sing,” Burr said. “We’d like to see more people participate from the community and other churches.”

Burr and Owens said everyone is welcome to participate — either by joining the choir or attending the sing-along today.

“It’s open to everybody who wants to participate,” Burr said.

Contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.