The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Music will present the UAPB Vesper Choir in its 70th presentation of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” at 3 p.m. Sunday. This free, public event will take place at St. James United Methodist Church, 900 N. University Drive.
Jerron A. Liddell, UAPB director of choral activities, is in his sixth year as conductor for the performance and will be assisted by John R. Graham, Jr., UAPB director of bands. Liddell is also assisted by Andee Book, voice instructor and assistant director of the Vesper Choir, and Gjergji Gaqi, accompanist and assistant professor of piano.
Featured student soloists include: Shayla Graham, soprano, Camden; Caili Morris, soprano, Little Rock; Kristian Hicks, baritone, Monticello; Joshua Duckworth, bass, Little Rock; Tamesha Monk, alto, Dallas, Texas; Zaria Brown, alto, El Dorado; Nicholas Norfolk, tenor, Little Rock; and Laura Case, soprano, Pine Bluff.
“A large-scale semidramatic work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra, it (Handel’s Messiah) is the source of the familiar Hallelujah Chorus. Messiah is by far the most frequently performed of all oratorios,” according to https://www.britannica.com/topic/Messiah-oratorio-by-Handel.
Details: UAPB Director of Choral Activities Jerron A. Liddell, (870) 575-8907.