'Sing-Along-Messiah' comes to Arlington Heights church
A former Chicago music director who built a “Do-it-Yourself Messiah” concert into a standing room only holiday tradition at several city churches is bringing the performance to the suburbs.
Scott Arkenberg, who now serves as music director at St. James Church, said after mounting the interactive performances for 25 years in Chicago, he hopes to draw suburban residents to participate in full voice in George Frederic Handel's 18th century masterpiece, “Messiah.”
Arkenberg, who attended St. James while growing up in Arlington Heights, said he first heard a Messiah concert while studying in England, at King's College Chapel at Cambridge. A performance by Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin's-in-the-Field inspired him so much that he went on to pursue a career in music.
“The music just gets into your bones,” Arkenberg said. “With the sweetness of the arias and the excitement of the chorus, it just stirs you.”
The “Sing-Along-Messiah” concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. James Parish Center, where Arkenberg will lead an 18-piece orchestra and classically trained soloists in the formal arrangement.
Soloists include tenor Erik Ernst of Round Lake, soprano Eleanor Mendoza of Chicago, and alto Valerie Glowinski and bass Bill Brown, both of Arlington Heights.
But what makes this concert special is its audience participation. Audience members serve as the chorus, coming in at such famous places as the “Hallelujah Chorus.” St. James parishioners, who have worked behind the scenes to orchestrate the concert, believe it is the only performance of its kind in the Northwest suburbs.
The Rev. Bill Zavaski, St. James pastor, was in full support of mounting the concert. Already a proponent of the parish's annual musical, he says offering Handel's Messiah during the Advent season is appropriate and timely.
“I can't think of a better way to bring people together and enjoy the magic and blessings of the Advent and Christmas seasons,” Zavaski says.
Tickets for the St. James performance are $15 at the door, and another $10 for a copy of the score. Call the parish center for more information, at (224) 345-7200.
The Chicago tradition continues later this month with the 31st annual LaSalle Bank Do-It-Yourself-Messiah concert at the Civic Opera House, where more than 7,000 people are expected to attend over its two-night run, on Dec. 20 and 21.