Handel’s masterpiece from 1742

A Holiday Favorite

Handel: Messiah

Handel’s masterpiece from 1742

Handel’s masterpiece performed Tempesta-style: on baroque instruments, led by concertmaster Emlyn Ngai and artistic co-director Richard Stone.

With the choir of Christ Church Christiana Hundred, led by Bruce Barber, and a quartet of early-music soloists.

December 18 - 21, 2025

Details

Handel’s most beloved masterpiece, his English-language oratorio Messiah, premiered in Dublin in 1742 and a year later in London.

Its first (partial) performance in Philadelphia took place on May 4, 1786 and featured a choir of 230 singers and an orchestra of 50 musicians!

Join us for a performance of this holiday favorite with the forces and sound Handel wrote for: a quartet of top-tier baroque music specialist-singers, a lean and agile choir of 30 voices, and an ensemble of exceptional instrumentalists.

Performance length: approximately 3 hours, with one intermission

Performers & Creatives

Tempesta di Mare | Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra
Gwyn Roberts & Richard Stone, directors | Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster

Choir of Christ Church Christiana Hundred, choir
Bruce Barber, conductor

  • Josefien Stoppelenburg

    Josefien Stoppelenburg, soprano

  • Sylvia Leith

    Sylvia Leith, alto

  • Stephen Soph

    Steven Soph, tenor

  • Randall Scarlata

    Randall Scarlata, baritone

Program

Georg Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759): Messiah, a Sacred Oratorio, HWV 56

Related Performance

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