All rehearsals, solo auditions, and performances are held at 6240 UTSA Blvd unless otherwise noted.
No monetary compensation will be given as this production is comprised of volunteers and the event is free for the community to attend.
See your group below for the 2020 rehearsal schedule, or click here for the PDF version.
Sectional Rehearsals: Sundays, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 at 4:00-5:30pm.
Full Choir Rehearsals: Sundays, Nov. 8, Nov. 15, Nov. 22 at 4:00-5:30pm.
Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, Nov. 29 at 4:00pm-5:30pm. A Potluck Dinner will follow.
Performance Call Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 5:45pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:45pm. The Group Picture will be taken on Dec. 5 at 3:10pm following the warm-up.
Performance Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:00pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:00pm.
Who Can Join: The Messiah Choir is primarily for adults, ages 18 and older. No auditions are required for adults; simply show up to the first rehearsal to sign-up.
Youth ages 16-17 may audition to join this choir. Youth should simply come the first rehearsal, participate in the sectional, meet with the section leader after the rehearsal, and decide together with the section leader if they will be able to learn the music with the limited number of rehearsals we have or if it’s best to wait for a future year.
Music: Please bring your own music. If you do not have your own music, we have extra music available at rehearsals and ask that you reimburse us the cost, which is usually anywhere from $8.00-$10.00 depending on our purchase price.
The choir book we use is: "The Messiah, An Oratorio," edited by T. Tertius Noble, published by G. Shirmer. However, if you own a different arrangement, it is not necessary to purchase new music because there are usually minimal differences. Music can usually be purchased ahead of time locally at RBC Music or https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/messiah-sheet-music/3161812, or downloaded for free after a quick online search.
Pieces Performing: The Messiah choir will perform the following choruses from Handel's Messiah: #s 4, 7, 12, 17, 24, 25, 26, 44, 53.
Please use these Practice Files and Markings to practice and mark your music before rehearsals begin.
Last Day to Join: We are performing a major work of music with limited rehearsal time, so please practice. As such, we would ask that new participants not join after the 4th rehearsal unless they already know the Messiah music very well and have discussed with the conductor what rehearsals they will be able to attend. Participants who join after the 4th rehearsal are not guaranteed to be listed in the program.
Performance Dress: Wear a white shirt and black or dark colored skirts or pants, but any combination of white and black is fine if needed. Men, please wear neutral colored ties and a dark suit jacket if you have one. Please dress modestly for the performances and rehearsals.
Sectional Rehearsals: Sundays, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 at 4:00-5:30pm.
Full Orchestra Rehearsals: Sundays, Nov. 8, Nov. 15, Nov. 22 at 4:00-5:30pm.
Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, Nov. 29 at 4:00pm-5:30pm. A Potluck Dinner will follow.
Performance Call Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 5:45pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:45pm. The Group Picture will be taken on Dec. 5 at 3:10pm following the warm-up.
Performance Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:00pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:00pm.
Who Can Join: Adults 18 and older can join and no audition is needed. Simply come to the first rehearsal and sign up.
If youth under the age of 18 wish to play in the orchestra, they may email the Messiah Committee to set up an audition time. Youth auditioning should have considerable playing experience and should be able to play the Messiah music well and up to tempo. For auditions, youth will be asked to play some of the more difficult passages from the Messiah pieces that we will be playing for the current year. Once a youth auditions for and is accepted into the Messiah Orchestra, they do not need to re-audition in future years; they are part of the orchestra. If it is determined that a youth needs more experience, they are invited to instead play in the Prelude Youth Orchestra. Youth who are accepted into the Messiah Orchestra may also play in the Prelude Youth Orchestra.
Instruments Needed: Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, French Horn, Trombone, Trumpet, Timpani (only one), Organ (only one), Piano (only one), Harpsichord/Keyboard (only one). If you desire to play the timpani, organ, piano, or harpsichord part, please contact the Messiah Committee to see if those parts are still available and needed since we often times have players from previous years already committed and returning to play the parts. We do not limit the number of players in the other orchestra sections. Violinists may choose if they would like to play either Violin 1 or Violin 2, however, we highly recommend that those who have never performed the Messiah before play the Violin 2 part. We may ask for volunteers to change sections if they need to be rebalanced. In other sections that split into parts, those parts will be decided at rehearsals.
Music Stands: Please bring your own music stand for all rehearsals and performances.
Music: Please bring your own music. If you do not have your own music, we have extra music available at rehearsals and ask that you reimburse us the cost, which typically ranges from $4.00-$10.00 depending on the part and our purchase price.
The orchestra music we use is: "The Messiah" published by G. Shirmer. Music can usually be purchased ahead of time locally at RBC Music or https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/messiah-oratorio-1741-violin-i-sheet-music/3170666 (this is the link to the Violin 1 part, but the other parts will look similar to this).
Pieces Performing: The Messiah orchestra will perform the following pieces from Handel's Messiah: #s 1, 4, 7, 12, 13, 17, 24, 25, 26, 44, 53.
Please use these Markings and Bowings to mark your music before rehearsals begin.
Last Day to Join: We would ask that new participants not join after the 4th rehearsal unless they already know the Messiah music very well and have discussed with the conductor what rehearsals they will be able to attend. Participants who join after the 4th rehearsal are not guaranteed to be listed in the program.
Performance Dress: Wear concert black for the ladies and black or dark suits for the men, with neutral colored ties. If you do not have concert black, please try to wear a combination of black and white. Please dress modestly for all rehearsals and performances.
Auditions: Saturday, Nov. 7 from 2:00pm-5:00pm.
Optional Solo Rehearsals: Sundays, Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 from 5:35pm-6:00pm. For soloists choosing to have this extra rehearsal, a 5-10 minute specific time will be assigned for soloists to practice with the orchestra on one of these days. Soloists who choose not to have this extra rehearsal, will still be assigned a time to practice with the orchestra during the Dress Rehearsal.
Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, Nov. 29 from 6:00pm-7:30pm. A 5-10 minute specific time will be assigned for each soloist to practice with the orchestra. A Potluck Dinner will be held before at 5:30pm.
Performance Call Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 6:45pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3:00pm. The Group Picture will be taken on Dec. 5 at 3:10pm following the warm-up.
Performance Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:00pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:00pm.
Who Can Audition: Solo auditions are primarily for adults, but youth with solo experience may also audition. To sign up for an audition time, please email samessiahaudition @ gmail.com. Walk-ins are also welcome.
What to Sing: Please prepare any solo from Handel’s Messiah. The majority of solos given will come from the "Christmas" section of the Messiah (anything before His Yoke is Easy), but usually we assign a few solos from the other sections of the Messiah as well.
Due to the growing number of those auditioning and the limited time, you will only be asked to sing 1-2 minutes of the solo you have prepared. You may also be asked to sing small portions of other Messiah solos that you already know if we feel your voice might be well suited on a different piece or if you are auditioning on the same piece as someone else. Similarly, you may also be asked to sight read Messiah solos that you do not know, if you feel comfortable doing so.
Accompaniment: A pianist will be provided for your audition, but you are welcome to use your own pianist or sing with a background recording if you bring your own recording and playback device.
Judging: A panel of 3-5 judges will evaluate each audition on predetermined criteria; the lowest and highest scores will be dropped, and then the remaining scores will be averaged. Based on these averages, soloists will be ranked from highest to lowest and these scores will be used when selecting soloists. Judges will score soloists on the following criteria: intonation, rhythm and counting, tone, technique (including diction, articulation, and breath control), interpretation (including dynamics, phrasing, and tempo), artistry, and the overall performance.
We will be filming all auditions to help the judges remember those who are auditioning during the selection process. The videos will be deleted as soon as the Messiah soloists are selected and will not be used for any other purpose other than selecting soloists.
Callbacks are not usually necessary, but if needed for close scores, they are done by having two judges re-watch the recorded auditions. If live callbacks are necessary, that will be communicated within one week of auditions.
Results: Those who audition will be notified via e-mail within one week indicating whether they have been selected for a Messiah solo or not. Each soloist will only be assigned to one solo, or traditional grouping of solos, in order to give more people the opportunity to perform. If chosen, soloists may be assigned to a piece other than the one they auditioned on. Typically, 8-10 soloists are selected, depending on solo length, how many choruses the choir is performing, chorus length, and programming length in general.
After Selection: Soloists will be asked to submit a bio and photo of themselves to be used in social media advertising and in the concert program. When you sign-up to audition, you will be asked to give consent for your picture and vocal performance to be used publicaly and online.
Preparation: There are many videos and recordings online to assist with preparing for auditions. If you wish to practice with pre-recorded accompaniment, most solo accompaniments can be found on Youtube simply by searching for the name of the solo followed by the word “accompaniment.”
Join the Choir: All soloists are invited, but not required, to sing with the Messiah Choir.
Performance Dress: Wear anything dressy and suitable for a solo performance. Please dress modestly for all rehearsals and performances.
Youth Choir Rehearsals: Sundays, Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 from 4:00-5:30pm.
Youth Choir Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, Nov. 29 from 4:00-6:00pm. A Potluck Dinner will follow.
Performance Call Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 5:45pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:45pm.
Performance Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:00pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:00pm.
Who Can Join: Youth ages 12-18 may join by simply showing up at the first rehearsal and signing up.
Youth ages 16-17 who audition for, and are selected to sing in the Messiah Choir, may not sing in the Youth Choir as the rehearsals conflict with each other.
What to Expect: The Youth & Children's Choirs will perform a 10-minute "opening act" to Handel's Messiah. They are not prelude; they are part of the performance. Youth will not be required to stay for the remainder of the performance and will be excused to sit or leave with their parents upon completion of their portion of the program. Parents are responsible for picking up their youth as they exit the stand. If youth are not picked up by parents upon exiting the stand because the parents are performing in the Messiah, the Youth either need to sit in the audience and quietly watch the Messiah performances or go to the Youth Room to wait for the performances to be over
Music: Music will be available to check out at each rehearsal. Please try to arrive early so we can start each rehearsal on time.
If practice tracks are available, they will be available here. We don't have many rehearsals, so please practice.
Last Day to Join: New participants should not join after the 2nd rehearsal. The program will be sent to the printer after the 1st rehearsal. So, even if you cannot attend the first rehearsal, sign-up so we have your name in the program.
Concert Dress: Wear any combination of red, green, and white (preferably red, green, or white shirts if you have them and black or dark colored skirts or pants, but any combination of red, green, and white is fine). Please dress modestly for all rehearsals and performances.
Children’s Choir Rehearsals: Sundays, Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 from 4:00-5:30pm.
Children's Choir Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, Nov. 29 from 4:00-6:00pm. A Potluck Dinner will follow.
Performance Call Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 5:45pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:45pm.
Performance Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:00pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:00pm.
Who Can Join: Children ages 8-11 may join by simply showing up at the first rehearsal and signing up.
What to Expect: The Children's & Youth Choirs will perform a ten-minute "opening act" to Handel's Messiah. They are not prelude; they are part of the performance. Children will not be required to stay for the remainder of the performance and will be excused to sit with their parents upon completion of their portion of the program. All Children's Choir members will be led to the Institute Room where they are to be picked up by their parents as soon as they are done singing. If children are not picked up by their parents after they are done singing because the parents are performing in the Messiah, all remaining Children's Choir participants will be supervised in the Institute room until the performance is over. All children must be picked up immediately following the Messiah performances.
Music: Music will be provided at each rehearsal. If practice tracks are available, they will be available here. We don't have many rehearsals, so please practice.
Last Day to Join: New participants should not join after the 2nd rehearsal. The program will be sent to the printer after the 1st rehearsal. So, even if you cannot attend the first rehearsal, sign-up so we have your name in the program.
Concert Dress: Wear any combination of red, green, and white (preferably red, green, or white shirts if you have them and black or dark colored skirts or pants, but any combination of red, green, and white is fine). Please dress modestly for all rehearsals and performances.
Senza Rehearsals: Sundays Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 from 5:35pm-6:00pm, as needed. These are extra rehearsals with the soloists, so they may or may not happen. Plan on staying for the listed times, but you may be released early.
Senza Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, Nov. 29 from 6:00-7:30pm. A Potluck Dinner will be held before at 5:30pm.
Performance Info: See the Full Orchestra tab for call times and performance times.
Who Can Join: The Senza Orchestra is typically the first stand players in the orchestra, or invited players, who accompany the solo pieces which require a smaller orchestra accompaniment. As these pieces are in addition to the music that the full orchestra is playing and there will be very limited rehearsal time for the Senza orchestra, Senza members should already know their parts well and practice often at home.
Senza performers will be selected by invitation only. Since a harpsichord is being used to accompany soloists, only string players will be needed in the Senza Orchestra.
Prelude Dress Rehearsal: Sunday, Nov. 29 from 6:30-7:30pm. A Potluck Dinner will be held before at 5:30pm.
Performance Call Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 6:15pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3:15pm.
Prelude Performance Times: Friday, Dec. 4 at 6:30pm and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3:30pm.. Prelude performance times are scheduled for 30 minutes before each Messiah performance.
Who Can Join: No audition is necessary, but string players who wish to participate should have 2+ years of experience and must be able to play well the assigned pieces from the Christmas Kaleidoscope books 1 & 2 by Robert Frost. Adults, "youthful" at heart, who either don't feel they're ready to play in the Messiah orchestra or who are teachers and wish to accompany their students, are also welcome to play in this prelude orchestra.
What to Expect: Prelude music will be held before each Messiah performance to set the tone for guests as they enter the building.
Music Stand: Please bring your own music stand for each rehearsal. Stands are not necessary for the performance as stands will be provided.
Music: Please bring your own music for rehearsals and performances. Music may be purchased locally at RBC Music or online at Sheet Music Plus, among other places.
For this year, the Prelude Youth Orchestra will play: (prelude music is still being selected).
Each piece has three different parts: A, B, or C, so please choose the line that is best suited for your skill level. If too many players choose the same line, some may be asked to play a different part to better balance out the orchestra.
Performance Dress: Wear any combination of black and white.