Group organizing holiday 'Sing-Along Messiah' in Elgin

A group of music lovers in Elgin is organizing a singalong concert to Handel's "Messiah" in December and is inviting others to participate in the effort.

The event is scheduled for Dec. 4 at the Blizzard Theatre on the Elgin Community College campus, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Food for Greater Elgin, said the group's co-chair, Molly Miceli.

"Wouldn't it be fun to make it an Elgin annual tradition?" she said. "That's what we are hoping."

"Messiah" is by far the most frequently performed oratorio, or large-scale composition for chorus, soloists and orchestra, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. It premiered at Easter in Dublin, Ireland, in 1742, and over time morphed into a Christmastime tradition.

Miceli said the idea of organizing an Elgin event came last year, while she and her daughter were commiserating that, due to other commitments, they couldn't attend the "Do-It-Yourself Messiah" at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago. "She said to me, 'Why doesn't Elgin do that?'" Miceli said.

The Chicago event is perhaps the most well known in the region. A "Sing-Along Messiah" with Voices in Harmony takes place yearly at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake.

Miceli said she began reaching out to people in Elgin's music and cultural arts scene and the response was enthusiastic, she said.

"It's not like going to a concert. It's a singalong," Miceli said. "You can do two things: you can sit in the section where you want to watch, but most people don't do that. Or you can sit in the section where the music is distributed - the alto section, base, tenor and soprano. You just really sing along, and it's a lot of fun and casual."

The group's co-chair is Robert Kania, chair of the music department at Judson University, who said "Messiah" holds special significance for him and his wife, an opera singer who's performed it several times.

"I grew up in Poland, and I grew up in a singing in a professional touring choir. 'Messiah' was one of the first works I ever heard, heard and sang, in a choir as an 11-year-old," he said. "The piece is very, very dear to my heart."

"Messiah" has a history of being connected to charitable fundraisers in England, and it's significant that the Elgin event will have that component as well, Kania said. "That's really what's kind of exciting about this project," he said.

Other groups involved are Chamber Music on the Fox and Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Miceli is a member of Elgin's cultural arts commission, but the city is not involved in the planning or organizing.

"I haven't talked to a person yet who doesn't think this isn't a wonderful idea," she said.

The next planning meeting is Feb. 21. For more information visit elginsing-alongmessiah.org and fill out the "contact us" section.