Westminster Symphonic Choir Performs Messiah in Philadelphia and New York

Handel’s Messiah is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable classical works performed during the holiday season.  For many music lovers, attending a performance of Messiah is a treasured part of their Christmas celebrations - and many of those performances involve Westminster Choir College. 

Yes, this time of the year Westminster and Messiah seem to be everywhere.  Between December 5 and 15, the Westminster Symphonic Choir will perform Handel’s master work eight times: three with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and five with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Jonathan Cohen.

And when you add in the many performances around the world that are conducted by a Westminster graduate or include a Choir College grad as a soloist or chorus member, the numbers explode.  Yes, Westminster and Messiah are ubiquitous at the holidays!

Westminster’s first Messiah performance with a major orchestra occurred 30 years after the college was founded when Leonard Bernstein invited the Westminster Symphonic Choir to perform with the New York Philharmonic.  Since then, the Choir has performed 18 runs of Messiah – 13 of them with the New York Philharmonic.  This season's performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra are the first with that ensemble since a 1960 concert conducted by William Smith.

This year’s run with both the New York Philharmonic and The Philadelphia Orchestra in a matter of days is a first.  “It offers our students a rare opportunity to experience two different approaches to this masterwork with major conductors and orchestras,” says Director of Choral Activities Joe Miller, who calculates that he’s been involved with at least 40 Messiah performances since he joined Westminster’s faculty in 2006.

Westminster Symphonic Choir's Messiah Performances