Great Barrington — Joining a full chorus to sing Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” with a live orchestra led by an internationally known conductor is something many music lovers dream about—but few ever get the chance to do.
You can be one of them at 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 29, at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington, when conductor James Bagwell and the Berkshire Bach Players invite the community to take part in a sing-along of beloved choruses from Handel’s “Messiah.” Admission is free, and non-singers are welcome to enjoy the experience as “exalted listeners.”
More than two dozen musicians—each affiliated with major orchestras or leading conservatories—make up the Berkshire Bach Players, many of them internationally recognized. The ensemble rarely appears in its entirety, and the roster shifts from concert to concert, but a look at the lineup shows that every instrumental part for Saturday’s performance will be well covered.
The Berkshire Bach Society has choral music in its DNA: The Society was founded for the purpose of performing J.S. Bach’s cantatas, with the Berkshire Bach Singers working under a number of choral directors, including this weekend’s conductor, James Bagwell.
Bagwell, professor of music at Bard College and director of performance studies in the Bard Conservatory, was recently named associate conductor of The Orchestra Now. Since 2003, he has served as director of choruses for the Bard Music Festival, preparing and conducting choral works each summer at the Fisher Center. He has trained choruses for major U.S. and international orchestras—including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others—and has collaborated with conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Robert Shaw.
Last year, Berkshire Bach Society Executive Director Terrill McDade told The Berkshire Edge, “The thing that is so interesting about music is that, in a world where disagreement has become the national pastime, music makes you come together with others to sing.”
For anyone who loves Handel, this is a concert not to miss. Singing “Messiah” is even more exhilarating than hearing it sung.
Join the Berkshire Bach Players and conductor James Bagwell for a community sing-along of Handel choruses at 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 29, at the First Congregational Church. Admission is free. The event is sponsored by the Local Cultural Councils of Lenox, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Sheffield, and Stockbridge. Bring your own score if you have one.
