Get tickets for Waukegan's Messiah, Carol Sing-Along
The annual Joseph A. Favero Memorial "Do It Yourself Messiah and Carol Sing- Along" is set for Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 128 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Waukegan.
Tickets for the Messiah are available at the door or can be purchased in advance at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, 39 Jack Benny Drive, Waukegan. Tickets are general admission and cost $15 each; free for student ages 18 and younger. Scores are also available for purchase before and at the concert.
The Kenosha Chamber Choir will join the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra and Concert Chorus for the "Christmas Portion" of the Messiah and carol singalong this year. Accompanying the chorus are area professional singers as the soloists.
The tenor soloist is Nick Huff, a local favorite who first appeared with the chorus when he was 12 years old. Other soloists include Laura Boguslavsky, mezzo-soprano; Leila Bowie, soprano; and Bill McMurray, baritone.
Each year, more than 350 people fill the church with Handel's music and Christmas carols.
Fellow commissioners wanted to memorialize Favero's contributions to Waukegan's cultural arts and determined the annual concert was a fitting tribute to him as a long-term Waukegan Park District commissioner, arts advocate and beloved Waukegan High School music teacher.
Joe Favero sang with the Waukegan Concert Chorus and played the trombone with the Waukegan Municipal Band.
The Messiah was composed in 1741 by George Frederic Handel, and was intended to be an Easter oratorio for orchestra, chorus and soloists. The music, however, has become more associated with the Christmas holiday season.
The orchestra, chorus, four soloists and the conductor will fill the stage while the audience fills the house. Audience members may be seated according to voice range and will have the opportunity to sing along with the chorus.
The front half of the church will accommodate patrons wanting to sing along with the choruses.