Dear Friends,

We are standing on the precipice of a new age. As we have painfully learned over the past months with Covid-19, our way of life has been threatened. We have experienced grief, loss, sadness and isolation. The performing arts have been stripped from our culture excluding us from the enrichment humanity desires and needs.

Moving forward, redefining an unknown future is as difficult as living through the changing realities of today. As we stand in this moment of reassessment it’s imperative we assimilate the lessons learned. How do we confidently move forward in this global state of affairs? I suggest we unite in a spirit of gratitude. Because of Covid, I have rediscovered a profound depth of appreciation for music and what it means to my way of life. To me, it’s not an accessory but an integral part of my life which makes me whole. Music and the arts are not recyclable assets I pull off the shelf when I need an emotional impact. They are part of me and define so much of who I am.

I hope we don’t lose sight of the lessons learned, but embrace a new way of living with a deeper sense of gratitude for the beauty in the world around us. Each day is a gift. Cherish this time. Enjoy living in each joyful moment and let the music inspire you like never before.

Now in his sixth year with the Southwest Symphony, Maestro Darger is honored to continue to work with this amazing group of musicians and be part of this community. Under his leadership the symphony has continued to take on even more difficult repertoire each year and has risen to the challenge. The orchestra performs very diverse repertoire, from the masterworks of Beethoven to the hits of Billy Joel, and in April 2021 the orchestra recorded a special for national TV with Marie Osmond.

Darger is a passionate conductor and musician and strives to achieve expressive performances that captivate and energize audiences. He began his journey with conducting when he was sixteen years old after being asked to assist with the All City Children’s Orchestra. He continued to study conducting while pursuing a degree in Violin Performance, studying with Dr. Robert Baldwin and conducting the Lincoln Youth Symphony. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Iowa. There he studied with William LaRue Jones and conducted both the Philharmonic Orchestra and the UI String Orchestra while performing with Orchestra Iowa and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. He completed further studies with Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors before moving to Texas, where he joined the Valley Symphony Orchestra and conducted the South Texas Youth Symphony.  

Norman Lister is honored to prepare the choir for this year’s production of Handel’s Messiah. Norm is a veteran choral conductor who retired after serving 35 years in the public school system. During his 26 years at Pine View High School, his choirs received numerous honors and awards for performances at region, state, and national venues. 

Lieto Voices! was created in 2003 and has added a unique perspective to the local  choral music scene in St. George and the surrounding area. Award-winning educator Norman Lister, founder and first conductor of Lieto Voices!, gifted the choir with his expertise and knowledge. 

Aubrey Adams-McMillan joined the voice faculty of Westminster College, SLC, in August of 2011. Hailed for her incredibly balanced voice, even tone and sensitive musicianship, Aubrey enjoys an active career singing Opera, music theater, chamber music, art song and symphonic works. Her love for music began young and she continues to explore repertoire that challenges her. 

Christopher Holmes returned to his home Provo after obtaining degrees in opera at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Temple University, teaching voice at Texas State University, and performing throughout the United States. With over 35 operatic roles to his credit, Christopher has been featured by companies such as Austin Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, Eugene Opera, Opera Idaho, Phoenix Opera, Juneau Lyric Opera, and San Antonio Opera. 

Isaac Hurtado has drawn critical acclaim for performances of over 30 leading tenor roles across the United States. Since making his leading role debut in 2004 with Festival Opera (CA) in the title role of Roméo et Juliette, his portrayals of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Don José in Carmen, Alfredo in La Traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto among others, have been noted for “money notes worth every penny” and “wonderful acting.” 

Michelle Sundwall has performed in a variety of genres and venues in the United States and Europe. Her skills range from classical to broadway and jazz to gospel. Michelle has played multiple leading roles on the musical theatre stage. Most recently she has played Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music at Hale Centre Theatre Orem, Miss Andrew/Bird Woman/Katie Nanna in Mary Poppins at Hale Centre Theatre Sandy, Camilla in In The Heights at HCTO, Nettie in Carousel, and Marion in The Music Man. 

MESSIAH, A SACRED ORATORIO

By JJ Abernathy

THE MUSIC

Handel’s immortal masterpiece, Messiah (1741), lifts and elevates the human soul like a cherished treasure. Some consider it one of the greatest musical pieces of all time and the greatest work written in England. Truly, Messiah is among the most often performed works in the history of classical music. Some have said the reason for its popularity stems from being relatively easy to play, but also because the libretto comes from familiar biblical text, the story of Christ being universally understood. The message is communicated by telling the story of Jesus’ mission primarily through Old Testament passages and to justify the doctrine that Jesus Christ was truly the Messiah promised by the Hebrew prophets.

Handel commenced writing on August 22, completed his draft on September 12, and finalized its creation before he left London for Dublin in December. He was 56 years old when he composed this work, a work appearing at the midpoint of his thirty or so oratorios. Handel wrote Messiah at a time when interest in Italian opera seemed to be waning and his own financial future appeared on the decline.

Handel arranged for Messiah to serve as the climax of the Dublin entertainment season for the benefit of three charities. The first performance created a sensation, with hundreds of enthusiastic listeners being turned away. Less than a year later Handel presented Messiah to London audiences, but debates ensued when it was discovered he planned to stage his sacred work at a popular theatre. It was at one of these performances that King George II, Handel’s patron, stood in respect to the Almighty at the beginning of the “Hallelujah” chorus, a tradition that carries with us today.

Sir Thomas Beecham, one of the finest English conductors, wrote in his memoirs about Handel’s music: “Since [Handel’s] time mankind has heard no music written for voices [that] can even feebly rival his for grandeur of build and tone, nobility and tenderness of melody, scholastic skill and ingenuity and the inexhaustible variety of effect... Handel is the undeniably great international master of all time.

PART I – THE NATIVITY

The first section paves the way for the coming of Christ with the chronicling of the events of the nativity.

PART II – THE PASSION AND RESURRECTION

The second part portrays the Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, ending with the “Hallelujah” chorus. Purportedly, one of Handel’s servants heard Handel exclaim after composing this section: “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself!”

PART III – EVERLASTING GLORY

The third section presents spiritual messages from Christ’s teachings, opening with “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” and concluding with the final “Amen.”

THE WORLD

The year Handel composes Messiah (1741) Czar Ivan VI is deposed and imprisoned. Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, becomes czarina. Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is first translated into German and Jonathan Edwards delivers his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” in Enfield, Massachusetts. Charles Willson Peale, portraitist of Washington, is born. Victor Behring, after discovering Alaska and Aleutian Islands, dies of hunger and cold. Benjamin Franklin creates “The General Magazine” in Philadelphia, and the Highway Act is passed in England to improve roads.

THE COMPOSER

George Frederic Handel

Born in Halle, Germany, 23 February 1685

Died in London, England, 14 April 1759