Blacksburg Master Chorale: "Messiah"

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Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech

The New River Valley’s own Blacksburg Master Chorale (BMC) is joined by a professional orchestra and soloists to present one of the most iconic works of the holiday season, Handel’s Messiah. You won’t want to miss the voices of more than 80 singers filling the Fife Theatre for the glorious and resounding Hallelujah Chorus.

A German Baroque composer, George Frideric Handel began writing oratorios — operas about sacred subjects that are presented in concert instead of acted on the stage — after his opera season was cancelled because of a lack of subscribers. He wrote 22 oratorios in all, composing Messiah in 24 days in 1741. The work gained popularity throughout the 1750s and, after Handel’s death, was performed all over the world with increasing adaptations and re-orchestrations based on the musical taste of the time.

The Blacksburg Master Chorale is a diverse community organization based in Blacksburg that welcomes singers 18 and over to perform contemporary and classical pieces (and the occasional commissioned piece or local composition) and participate in the local arts community. The ensemble was established in 1987 and consistently has 80-100 active singer members. Under the baton of Music Director Dwight Bigler, the ensemble performs three to four major concerts per year in venues across the New River Valley.

Blacksburg Master Chorale previously performed at the Moss Arts Center in 2015 and 2019, as well as with Opera Roanoke in 2023.