From staff reports
Holy Cross Parish, Rumson, is celebrating the Advent season through music with a choir concert featuring George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.”
The parish’s 20-member, all-volunteer choir will be joined by a group of professional soloists as well as an orchestra, including a harpsichordist – the perfect accompaniment to the Baroque masterpiece, said Don Carolina, parish director of music.
“It’s nice to do sacred music in a sacred place that tells about the coming of Christ,” he said.
Handel’s “Messiah” is a three-part oratorio based on Scripture that tells the story of Christ. The first part begins with prophecies of the coming messiah and the Annunciation; the second includes the life, ministry and Passion of Christ, ending with the “Hallelujah” chorus. It concludes with Christ’s glorification in heaven and final victory over sin. The performance will center on Part I of the “Messiah.”
“We’re hoping this will offer more than a concert … that it will take time away from the hustle and bustle of shopping to pray through music,” Carolina said.
The concert, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 3 p.m. Dec. 4, Holy Cross Church, 30 Ward Ave.