Glacier Symphony and Chorale brings MESSIAH concerts to Three Flathead Valley towns in early December

The Friday, Dec. 2, concert will be held at Bethany Lutheran Church, 8559 Highway 35,
in Bigfork, at 7:30 p.m. The Saturday, Dec. 3 concert moves to Whitefish Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 4 a matinee performance begins at 3 p.m. at Flathead High School Performance Hall in Kalispell.

The full Glacier Chorale accompanied by chamber orchestra of Glacier Symphony musicians, will perform George Frideric Handel's iconic choral work "Messiah" in three venues in Flathead Valley over the weekend of December 2-4, 2016. Artistic Director of the GSC, John Zoltek, will conduct the ensemble.

Zoltek says the Messiah has become somewhat of a mainstay of the Christmas season, though it was actually originally written to be performed during the Easter season to celebrate the incarnation and resurrection of Christ and his ultimate glorification in heaven. The GSC will perform a shorter "Christmas portion" of the popular piece that focuses on some of Messiah's best loved, magnificent choruses including "And the Glory of the Lord" and the majestic "He Shall Purify." It will conclude with the popular "Halleluiah Chorus" considered to be one of the greatest sacred selections of the entire choral repertory. Performing the solo sections of the Messiah will be singers from the Glacier Chorale. They include soprano Barbara Burch, alto Kari Donovan, tenor Josh Holloway and bass Brad Seaman.

Handel completed the score for Messiah in a flash of what he called divine inspiration in just over two weeks. The oratorio is defined as a dramatic narrative work for orchestra soloists and chorus. "Because of Handel's opera experience he was able to meld perfect dramatic quality into this his greatest oratorio and work," comments Zoltek. "It is astounding that this work has held large popularity for nearly 300 years! This is unprecedented in music history."

Tickets are available in a range of pricing at each venue; the Bigfork venue is general seating, Whitefish PAC and Flathead High Performance Hall offer seating in tiers. Buy online at www.gscmusic.org or call the GSC Box Office at 406-407-7000, located at 69 N. Main. St. in Kalispell. Box Office purchases are subject to a $2 service fee.

The performances are supported by generous these Season Benefactors: Snappy Sport Senter and KGEZ radio.

A special offer to attendees of the Whitefish Messiah concert.
The Firebrand Hotel, located at 650 E 3rd St, across the street from the Whitefish Performing Arts Center is offering a discount of $1 off wine or draft beer purchased before or after the concert when patrons show their concert ticket. For those who might want to make a weekend of it, the hotel is offering $99 room nights for concert ticket holders. For more information about the hotel and its amenities call 406-863-1900.

Glacier Symphony and Chorale Mission Statement:
To provide a diverse range of excellent musical experiences in Northwest Montana that inspire, challenge, and educate our musicians, audience, and students.