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SCHOLA CANTORUM'S MESSIAH SING CELEBRATES 250 YEARS OF THE MESSIAH
                                 
Hallelujah!  The Bay area's most popular Messiah Sing, sponsored
by the renowned choral group Schola Cantorum, begins its second
quarter-century this year!  To add to the celebration, 1992 marks
the 250th anniversary of the first performance of Handel's
glorious Messiah.  Come join the festivities as Gregory Wait,
Schola's music director, leads a chorus of over 1,000 voices on
Monday 14 December 1992 at 7:30, at Flint Center in Cupertino.

Schola's founder, Royal Stanton, introduced the now-beloved
holiday tradition of the Messiah Sing to Santa Clara County
Audiences in 1964.  Even though several local organizations now
sponsor their own Messiah Sings, the popularity of the original
has not diminished.  Over 45,000 people have participated in the
Schola Cantorum Messiah Sing since it was begun 26 years ago.
Those who return year after year say that the experience of
singing (or just listening!) in the middle of a chorus of 2,000
voices is indescribable.  As in the past, the audience/chorus will
be accompanied by a full orchestra.

A unique feature of Schola Cantorum's Messiah Sing is that there
are no hired soloists - the audience also has the opportunity to
sing the solos!  Would-be divas and divos can dust off their lungs
and try the famous solo arias - even the ones that are not for
their voice part.  There's no criticism, no performance pressure,
just hearty encouragement and applause from the conductor and from
your neighbors!

George Frederick Handel's Messiah, first performed in Dublin in
1742, is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year.  Numerous
legends have sprung up surrounding the work, including the
tradition of standing during the performance of the Hallelujah
Chorus, which originated when King George II got tired during one
performance.  Since he stood to stretch his legs, naturally the
audience was obliged to as well.  Of course, in today's Messiah
Sings, many enthusiastic singers stand for most of the evening,
but the entire audience rising to their feet during the Hallelujah
Chorus has more to do with not being able to contain the joy that
arises when they sing this glorious masterpiece.

The remaining concerts in Schola Cantorum's season include Welcome
Yule! on December 18 and 19, and Great American Song on March 6,
both at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; and
Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem on June 6 at Stanford University's
Memorial Church.

Tickets for Schola Cantorum's Messiah Sing are $10 (general
admission) and can be purchased through the San Jose Box Office,
Flint Center, Schola Cantorum (415/324-0922) or at the door.