'Messiah,' Bach's 'Christmas Oratorio' performed Dec. 18

Two of the most beloved works of the Christmas season will be performed by The Bach Institute at Valparaiso University on Dec. 18.

The Bach Institute Choir will perform the first part of Handel’s “Messiah” and the first part of Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” at 7 p.m. in the Chapel of the Resurrection on campus. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and students, and free for Valpo faculty, staff and students. To purchase tickets, call Valpo’s Box Office at 219-464-5162 or visit www.valpo.edu/vuca/ticket.php.

“These two masterpieces bring to life the story of Christ’s birth in a profoundly moving manner,” said Christopher M. Cock, Duesenberg Chair of Lutheran Music and director of The Bach Institute. “The Bach Institute is pleased to present this opportunity to celebrate the joy of the Christmas season. For more than 250 years, these works by Handel and Bach have captivated audiences and they remain just as powerful today as when they were first performed.”

Cock said the Bach Institute Choir will be joined by Chicago Baroque Orchestra and the Callipygian Players – ensembles composed of the Chicago area’s finest musicians of Baroque period instruments – in offering a joyous and spirited reading of the two monumental works.

The Bach Institute was founded in 2003 with a gift from Valpo alumni Richard and Phyllis Duesenberg and is dedicated to the study and performance of Bach and his music.

On March 19, 2011, Valpo will host the acclaimed Bach Collegium Japan during the ensemble’s first North American tour since 2006. The combined baroque orchestra and chorus will perform Bach’s “Mass in B Minor” at 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel of the Resurrection. Tickets to that performance are $40 for adults, $30 for senior citizens and $20 for Valpo students, faculty and staff.

More information about the visual and performing arts at Valpo is available online at www.valpo.edu/vuca or by calling Valpo’s Center for the Arts at (219) 464-5162. The public also is invited to sign up for a monthly e-mail newsletter that will announce upcoming Valpo visual and performing arts news and events at www.valpo.edu/vuca/mailinglist.php.