For those of you who like to start the holiday season with a performance of Handel's messiah, read on:
Princeton Pro Musica will perform Handel’s Messiah on Sunday, December 6, at 3 pm, at Patriots Theater in the Trenton War Memorial. Frances Fowler Slade, founder and Music Director, will conduct chorus, orchestra, and a stellar cast of soloists including Julianne Baird, soprano; Alyson Harvey, mezzo-soprano; Scott Murphree, tenor; and Matthew Burns, bass. Tickets are $25 - $55, students with ID $10, with group rates available. To purchase, call 609-683-5122 or order online at
Princeton Pro Musica. Tickets will also be available at the Patriots Theater box office on December 6.
Now in its thirty-first season performing choral masterworks, Princeton Pro Musica first performed Messiah in 1982, at the War Memorial. Since then, these acclaimed Messiah performances have become a Central New Jersey tradition. Slade comments, “We are always delighted to perform in the wonderful space at Patriots Theater.”
Julianne Baird has been called “the model” for Messiah soloists, and “one of the most extraordinary voices in the service of early music that this generation has produced,” by James R. Oestrich in the New York Times. Ms. Baird has been featured with all of the major early music groups in the country, including the Waverly Consort and Concert Royale. She has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. She has made over 100 recordings on Decca, Deutsche Gramophone, Newport Classics, and Dorian, including a solo CD called, “Glorious Handel.” The New York Philharmonic includes her in its commemorative box of a century of recording.
Alyson Harvey has appeared with Tempesta di Mare, the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, The Berkshire Bach Society, and The Philadelphia Singers. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Masterwork Chorus of NJ, and appeared with them again in their 50th Anniversary concert of the Bach B minor Mass.
Scott Murphree is a distinguished singer of the concert, recital, and opera stage. He won high praise in his Messiah performance with the Oratorio Society of New York, and in Handel’s Saul the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space series at St. Ignatius Loyola in New York. His recent engagements include the Utah Opera, Opera Delaware, and Bach cantatas with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Since debuting at New York City Opera debut as Masetto in Don Giovanni in 2002, Matthew Burns has been a frequent guest with the company, singing such roles as George in Of Mice and Men, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, Marco in Gianni Schicchi and others. Mr. Burns has also sung leading roles with Wolf Trap Opera including the title role in Mozart’s Impresario and Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
The War Memorial is a barrier-free facility. Persons requiring special assistance or accommodations are asked to contact Princeton Pro Musica two weeks in advance of an event to alert staff to any special needs. Call 609.683.5122 with any questions or requests for special assistance. Every effort will be made to accommodate special needs at any time.
This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Princeton Pro Musica is a recipient of a grant from the New Jersey Cultural Trust.
Princeton Pro Musica exists to perform choral masterworks and other works of the choral literature with energy, passion, and uncompromising artistic excellence. We believe in the power of choral music to uplift and transform present and future audiences, performers, and communities.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
