Handel's Messiah with the Grinnell Oratorio Society and the Grinnell Singers

The Grinnell Oratorio Society, together with the Grinnell Singers, will present Handel’s Messiah on December 4, at 2 p.m. in Herrick Chapel under the direction of John Rommereim, Blanche Johnson Professor of Music.

The choir of 100 voices will include members of the Grinnell community as well as singers from nearby Newton and students, faculty, and staff of the College.

The orchestra will consist of players from various professional orchestras across the state. The soloists are drawn from the music faculty of Iowa’s universities:

• Rachel Joselson, an associate professor of music at the University of Iowa, and an opera singer and recitalist who has performed across Europe, will sing the soprano solos.
• The alto soloist will be Katherine Osborne, a faculty member at the University of Northern Iowa, and a versatile performer of operatic roles and concert works from the Baroque era to the 21st century.
• Jeffrey Brich, a sought-after soloist with orchestras and opera houses, also from UNI, will sing the tenor solos.
• Nicholas Miguel, who has developed a thriving voice studio at Grinnell College, and who the Grinnell audience will remember for his admirable performance in Handel’s Esther with the Lyra Baroque Orchestra and the Grinnell Singers in 2015, will sing the bass solos.

The concert will include the first part of Handel’s masterpiece (which climaxes with the “Hallelujah” chorus) in its entirety. Portions of parts two and three will also be performed, and the concert will conclude with the elaborate “Amen” that serves as such a resplendent finale to this beloved work.​

Grinnell College welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. You can request accommodations from Conference Operations and Events.

Important: The College welcomes the presence of minors at all age-appropriate public events and for informal visits, with the understanding that a parent, legal guardian, or other responsible adult assumes full responsibility for their child’s safety and behavior during such visits or events. In these cases the College expects that an adult responsible for the visiting child takes measures to ensure the child’s safety and sees that the child complies with directions of College personnel. Grinnell College is not responsible for supervision of minors on campus.