Dec. 2 Marks Greenville Choral Union's 88th Year of Community Messiah Performances

Published: April 13, 2021

The Greenville Choral Union and Orchestra will celebrate their 88th performance of George Frideric Handels oratorio Messiah on Sunday, December 2, at 4:00 p.m. in the Whitlock Music Center on the campus of Greenville University (Greenville, IL). The performance is open to the public.

In addition to enjoying this perennial favorite, the audience will have opportunity to hear other seasonal selections by John Rutter, Gwyneth Walker, Abbie Betinis, and Pavel Chesnekov, as well as sing Christmas carols along with the Choral Union and Orchestra.

The 85-voice Choral Union and the 40-piece orchestra includes members of south central Illinois communities in addition to students, staff, and faculty members from Greenville University. The program will also feature Choral Union vocal soloists Elizabeth Ahrens (Edwardsville, IL), Klaire DeVos (Pella, IA), Emelia Ferrero (Nokomis, IL), Lexie Hooper (Taylorville, IL), Megan McPeak (Greenville, IL), Eddie Allison (Springfield, IL), and David Gines (Bunker Hill, IL).

Fifteen professional instrumentalists from the St. Louis area will join the Greenville Chamber Orchestra. Jiwon Park, staff accompanist at Greenville University, serves as accompanist for the Choral Union. Nicholas Watterson, Greenville native and current Greenville University student, will play the organ for the performance. Dr. Jeff Wilson, director of choral activities at Greenville University and music director of the Greenville Choral Union, will conduct the concert.

Seating for the concert will begin at 3:30 p.m. An offering will be taken to help defray the costs of the concert and support the Greenville University Choir Music and Ministry Tour to Mexico in May 2019.

Immediately following the concert, there will be a reception at the Tidball Alumni House on the Greenville University campus (at the corner of College Avenue and Elm Street).

For those who are unable to attend the performance, the concert will be broadcast live on WGRN, 89.5 FM and streamed live by Greenville University.

For more information about the Greenville Choral Union and Greenville Chamber Orchestra, please contact the Greenville University Department of Music at (618) 664-6560.

Greenville University is a four-year accredited Christian liberal arts school with more than 1,200 traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree completion students. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the university is located in Greenville, IL, 45 miles east of St. Louis. For more information, visit www.greenville.edu.