Handel’s Messiah
A rehearsal hall in Guatemala City has been filled with the sounds of Christmas since mid-September as the Guatemala Community Choir prepares for its annual performance of Handel’s Messiah.
The production, now in its eighth year, will feature U.S. soloists J.J. Hobbs, Liz Cass, Sam Lowry and, making his Guatemala debut, baritone Phillip Hill from Austin, Texas. Trumpeter Randy Sonntag from Jupiter, Florida, will return to perform in the concert as well. They will be accompanied by the 100-member volunteer chorus and members of the Guatemalan Symphonic Orchestra, under the direction of Maya School Music Director Debby Lyttle.
The Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah dominates the first half of the concert, while the second half features Christmas music that has become a staple in the celebration of the season for hundreds of music lovers in Guatemala City and in La Antigua Guatemala.
As always, proceeds from the two performances will go to charities benefiting children through education. This year, Fundamex, a group of Mexican companies operating in Guatemala, will be the main sponsor of the event, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Benito Juárez School in Guatemala City’s Zone 2. The Comité de Becas Mary Sue will also receive a portion of the proceeds, which will benefit a school in Chichicastenango. Principal sponsors include Coca-Cola, Cervecería Centroamericana, the U.S. Embassy, Atitlán Producciones and IGA.
Messiah performances will take place on November 29 in the Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias in Guatemala City and November 30 in Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua. An added feature this year in Antigua will be the addition of risers in the general section of the chapel.
Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
Seating in Antigua Q300 and Q200; Guatemala City, Q250, Q100 and Q60.
Tickets will be available at Joyería del Ángel, Casa Santo Domingo and the box office the night of the performance in Antigua and through TodoTicket and the theater box office the night of the performance in Guatemala City.