December 8, 9, and 10, 2017
Paul Ayres' Messyah with Bay Choral Guild
December 8 at 8 p.m.
Pre-concert lecture at 7:30 p.m.
Campbell United Methodist Church 
1675 Winchester Blvd, Campbell
December 9 at 7 p.m.
Pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
625 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
December 10 at 4:30 p.m.
Pre-concert lecture at 4 p.m.
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
1111 O'Farrell St, San Francisco
- Paul Ayres: Messyah
with Bay Choral Guild - Ann Moss, Soprano
- Kathleen Moss, alto
- Michael Desnoyer, tenor
- Igor Vieira, bass
In a spirited fresh take on Handel's oratorio, composer Paul Ayres re-conceives each Messiah movement in a musical style that has appeared since Handel wrote the original. Jazz, gospel, mash-ups, improvisation - all variations in this "messy" version are rooted in Handel's familiar melodies and harmonies. Ayres himself says: "Sometimes there are changes to metre and rhythm, or harmony or text is transformed. Some movements have had their essential elements distilled into a few moments' intensity, and some musical ideas have been expanded and developed along startlingly tangential lines."
Although earlier versions of Messyah have been performed locally, Bay Chroal Guild commissioned Ayres to complete the remaining movements for our December concert. BCG will collaborate with Redwood Symphony for the world's first presentation of this newly completed Messyah score. Joining us on this exciting adventure are the young and highly accomplished vocal soloists, Ann Moss, soprano, Kathleen Moss, alto, Michael Desnoyer, tenor, and Igor Vieira, bass.
Tickets for all concerts are available online at BayChoralGuild.org or at the door of each concert.
