93rd Annual Handel’s ‘Messiah’ to be Performed

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Live performances, in many cases, showcase a group of people who work in tandem, as they follow a script that tells a story. Many of those works were so well written that they continue to withstand the test of time.

Handel’s Messiah is an oratorio written in 1742 and has been performed annually, here in Zanesville, for 93 years. Zanesville Civic Chorus and Orchestra Director Ann Lillie Briggs and Assistant Director Jim McLaughlin discussed the upcoming performance of their time-tested production. 

“We do a full event here,” Briggs said. “We do the entire part one, two and three of Handel’s famous oratorio Messiah. But we also have a 23-piece orchestra and an organ. So it’s, we’ve got the chorus, we bring in professional soloists, it’s quite the event. So you’re going to hear everything that evening.”

The performance seeks to kickstart the Christmas season by spiritually uplifting attendees and will feature an intergenerational cast with some members making their first appearance and others who have contributed for more than 50 years. This will be the first public performance of the show since the pandemic and all proceeds will go to the Southeastern Ohio Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

“Because we do give this as a free concert to the community,” McLaughlin said. “But in the spirit of Handel, which his original performances were often given to charity, we offer it as a charity event. There will be an offering taken, and for those who are online, MCCF has taken care of helping us with that.”

The performance will take place 6 p.m. Sunday, December 11, at the Central Trinity United Methodist Church on Seventh Street in Zanesville. It will be streamed live and can be watched by visiting MCCF.org.

If crowds are not your thing, you can attend the informal rehearsal sessions on Saturday, the 10th. The soloist and orchestra rehearsal will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. and the chorus and orchestra rehearsal session will happen from 6 to 8 p.m.