"Bank of America is proud to continue the Bank of America Do-It-Yourself Messiah tradition in Chicago and its surrounding communities, "said Tim Maloney, Illinois President for Bank of America. "This event is a unique way to bring together people of different backgrounds, across generations and from around the world to share one voice in celebration of the season."
The Messiah performance lasts approximately two and a half hours. The audience, seated according to voice range, sings the choral part of the piece. This year's performance will be lead by a full orchestra comprised of volunteer musicians, four professional soloists - soprano Tamara Matthews, alto Meredith Arwady, tenor John Tessier and bass-baritone Nathan Berg - and world-renowned Maestro Stanley Sperber.
Performances of the Do-It-Yourself Messiah will begin at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 and Dec. 22. Lobby doors at the Harris Theater located at 205 E. Randolph will open at 6 p.m.; theater doors open at 6:30. Seating is subject to capacity of the theater.
For more information, visit the href=www.imfchicago.org"target="_blank">International Music Foundation Web site.
The Messiah
Composed in 1741 by George Frederic Handel, Messiah is a large-scale piece for orchestra, chorus and soloists. Originally intended as an Easter oratorio, it has become more popularly associated with the Christmas holiday season.
A small church in rural England began the "do-it-yourself" part more than 30 years ago. Al Booth, founder of the International Music Foundation, was an early participant and brought the idea home to Chicago where he and Margaret Hillis, then director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, staged the first event in 1975.
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 53 million consumer and small business relationships with 6,000 retail banking offices, more than 18,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 29 million active users. Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to more than 4 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
