Approximately 80 musicians from the Eastern

Oregon region have been feverishly rehearsing in preparation of a

Christmas gift to the community – an ecumenical performance of George

Frideric Handel’s Messiah.

Don Jensen, La Grande, will direct the 25-member orchestra,

50-voice choir and soloists Tina Christensen, Helene Hipple, Phil

Hassinger, Aubrey Winn and Chris Eves in two 7:30 p.m. performances,

Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 at the LDS Church, 1802 Gekeler, La Grande.

Messiah premiered in Dublin on Easter Sunday in

April 1742 and is Handel’s most famous creation. It is among the most

popular works in Western choral literature. The well known Hallelujah

chorus is the rousing finale of Handel’s Messiah. Tradition is for

concert goers to stand during the chorus.

The name of the oratorio is taken from the Judaeo-Christian

concept of the biblical Messiah which means “the anointed one” and in

Christianity, the Messiah is Jesus.

Handel, a devout Christian,wrote the work as a presentation of Jesus’s life and its significance to humanity for all eternity.

Although the work was conceived and first performed for Easter,

it has become traditional since Handel’s death to perform the Messiah

oratorio during Advent, the preparatory period of the Christmas season.