JACKSONVILLE, AL — As originally reported by Brett Buckner with JSU’s media department, Jacksonville State University’s Civic Chorale and A Cappella Choir will join four guest soloists for a performance of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts (ROC).
The performance will be conducted by Dr. Eliezer Yanson Jr. and feature soprano Megan Sapleton, mezzo-soprano Judy Shealy, tenor Eric Wilcox and baritone Timothy Renner. Shealy and Wilcox are Jacksonville State alumni.
“I couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with our outstanding guest soloists,” Yanson said. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these talented singers.”
The concert will mark Yanson’s sixth time conducting Messiah, which he schedules for performance approximately once every four years.
Composed in 1741 and first performed in 1742, Messiah is one of the most widely recognized works in Western classical music. The composition is an oratorio, a large-scale musical work featuring choir, soloists and orchestra, traditionally presented without theatrical staging, costumes or scenery.
The work follows the biblical account of Jesus Christ, beginning with prophecies of his birth and continuing through his death, resurrection and eternal reign.
“Handel’s Messiah tells the story of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One,” Yanson said. “It traces His story from the prophecies of His coming and His birth to His death, burial, resurrection, and eternal reign.”
For Dr. Susie Francis Dempsey, Jacksonville State professor emerita and longtime Civic Chorale member, the performance represents both a continuation of her musical involvement with the composition and an opportunity to perform in the university’s newer concert facility.
Dempsey has participated in the Civic Chorale for more than two decades, including alongside her late husband, Wayne. Her experience with Messiah extends to her work as a pianist, educator and vocalist.
“I even taught the bass parts to my dad when I was a budding pianist in high school,” Dempsey said, “so I know and love the Handel composition as part of my life as a chorister and pianist.”
Dempsey said performing the composition at the Randy Owen Center adds significance to this year’s concert.
“It is especially meaningful to perform it in the ROC,” she said. “To finally have a large concert hall on campus has been a lifelong dream for JSU, and to present the famous masterwork, Messiah, on that stage will likely be a peak experience.”
The production requires extensive preparation from both ensembles. According to Dempsey, the composition presents technical challenges involving diction, rhythm, vocal expression and coordination between performers.
“This oratorio demands perfect diction, energetic rhythm and emotional expression because Handel’s clever word painting – tone painting – directly mimics the meaning and shape of the Scriptural lyrics found in Handel’s setting of prophecy, birth, death and resurrection of Christ,” Dempsey said.
She added that bringing two experienced choirs together for the Baroque composition requires considerable rehearsal time and credited Yanson’s direction with preparing the musicians for the performance.
For Jacksonville State students, the concert also provides an opportunity to perform alongside professional musicians while gaining experience with a major classical composition.
Silas Tankersley, a graduate assistant to Yanson and member of the A Cappella Choir, will perform Messiah for the first time. The experience carries additional meaning because it is his final year with the ensemble.
“This will be a special opportunity for me because it is my last year in A Cappella Choir,” Tankersley said. “Being able to share this as a first-time experience with many of my peers will be a cherished memory.”
Tankersley said preparing for the performance has required students to develop techniques specific to Baroque music, including phrasing and melismatic singing, in which multiple notes are sung on a single syllable.
He also emphasized the collaborative nature of performing a large-scale choral work.
“Situations like this encourage teamwork, expression, and balance when working with soloists,” Tankersley said. “There is a distinct and delicate relationship between the director, the soloists, the choir, and the orchestra. We rely on each other to get the job done.”
The Nov. 6 concert will bring together university students, community chorale members, alumni and guest performers for the presentation.
Tickets are $20, with discounted admission available for Jacksonville State students, faculty and staff.
Tickets can be purchased through the Jacksonville State University ticketing website.
