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The People Sing! Messiah

The People Sing! Messiah

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Location: Sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church, 200 West Washington Street, Greenville SC 29601
Time: Sunday, November 27, 2022 at 6:00 pm. Lecture on "Messiah" will begin at 5:30 pm.

"Messiah," an oratorio by Handel, has been performed every year since its Dublin premiere in 1741. For many worshippers, the season of Christmas is not complete without experiencing this masterwork which tells the story of Christ, using text from the King James Bible.

First Presbyterian Church is hosting a "Messiah" sing-along again for the Greenville community with full audience participation. “The People Sing! Messiah” is a night of worship, joy, voices, and instrumental music to be complete only by YOUR VOICE joining in the choral parts of the oratorio to proclaim the story of Jesus.

This event will feature Part I of the masterwork plus “The Hallelujah Chorus” and “Worthy is the Lamb.” Surround yourself with a chorus of hundreds, the FPC sanctuary choir, a professional orchestra that includes many members of the Greenville Symphony, organ, harpsichord, and vocal soloists to refresh your spirit with music this December.


“The People Sing! Messiah” FAQs

Do I need to purchase a score?
Music will be provided for event at the door, although you are welcome to bring your own score.

Do I need to purchase a ticket?
There is no cost. However, you will need to get a free ticket by downloading from our website (coming soon). Donations to the Worship and Music Ministry of First Presbyterian Church will be accepted.

Is parking available?
The church has two parking lots. One lot is adjacent to the church, on the same block as the church, with entrances on both Richardson and N. Academy Streets. The second lot is at the corner of N. Academy and W. Washington, with entrances from both N. Academy and W. Washington. There is no fee to park in the church lots for church events. Parking is also available at the Richardson Street Garage, which offers free parking on weekends.

Is childcare available?
Childcare is available in the nursery. Children are also welcome in the worship service.

How long will it last?
“The People Sing! Messiah” will last approximately one hour.

Can I just come and sit and listen without singing?
Our goal is to make music that is so beautiful and compelling that you cannot help but sing! All singers, enthusiasts, and listeners are welcome.

Is there a rehearsal?
No rehearsal for this event.

“The People Sing! Messiah” Soloists

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SOPRANO
Jee Hyun Lim, soprano
Korean-American lyric soprano Jee Hyun Lim has gained international renown for her portrayal of the operatic heroines of Giacomo Puccini. Her interpretation of the title role of MADAMA BUTTERFLY has been seen and heard on the stages of four continents, including London’s Royal Albert Hall in David Freeman’s award-winning production, Lyric Opera Productions in Dublin, with New York City Opera for the 2005 season opening and on the company’s tour to Tokyo and Nagoya, Syracuse Opera, Chautauqua Opera, San Antonio Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Nashville Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Chile), and the National Theatre of Croatia in Zagreb. She has appeared as Mimì in LA BOHÈME with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Minnesota Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Atlanta Opera, Tulsa Opera, Kentucky Opera, Lyric Opera Productions (Dublin), and Vest Norges Opera in Bergen, Norway. As Liù in TURANDOT, Ms. Lim has performed with Portland Opera (Oregon), Opera Carolina, Orlando Opera, and in Vittorio Rossi’s internationally acclaimed production in Montréal’s Olympic Stadium.

Equally admired as a Mozartean, Ms. Lim made her role debut as Donna Elvira in DON GIOVANNI at the Seoul Arts Center and her role debut as the Contessa in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO with Indianapolis Opera, soon afterward reprising the role with Michigan Opera Theatre. As Pamina in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE she has performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (Seoul), Cincinnati Opera, New Orleans Opera, Tulsa Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, and Virginia Opera. She has also performed Susanna in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO with Tulsa Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Vancouver Opera, and Zerlina in DON GIOVANNI with the Minnesota Orchestra, Opera Pacific, and Portland Opera.

In the French repertoire, Ms. Lim has performed Antonia in LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN at the Spoleto Festival USA, MIcaëla in CARMEN with Vest Norges Opera and in the Earl’s Court production in Birmingham, England, Léïla in LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES with Opera Boston, Marguerite in FAUST with Austin Lyric Opera, Blanche in DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES with Tulsa Opera, and Dardane in LES PÈLERINS DE LA MECQUE (Gluck) with Opéra Français de New York (OFNY).

An early highlight of Ms. Lim’s operatic career was being expressly chosen by Maestro Gian Carlo Menotti to create the leading role of his comic opera GIORNO DI NOZZE for the opera’s world premiere at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Further roles include Nedda in PAGLIACCI for Syracuse Opera and Austin Lyric Opera, Ann Trulove in THE RAKE’S PROGRESS with New Jersey Opera Festival, and Lady Tiang in THE KING AND I, which she debuted at London’s Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and then reprised at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre and Wolf Trap Opera.

An accomplished concert artist, Ms. Lim has the distinction of performing Messiah at Lincoln Center eleven times. She has appeared in concert and oratorio performances in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Seoul.

Miss Lim was educated at the Seoul National University, the Juilliard School, and the Juilliard Opera Centre and was the winner of the Sullivan Award and the Artist of the Year by Syracuse Opera. Read More

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ALTO
 Angela Horn-Barrett, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Angela Horn-Barrett, named the 1996 Outstanding Artist of the Year at New York City Opera, has performed to critical acclaim worldwide in operatic houses such as the New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Pacific, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Carolina, and the Baltimore Opera. Her exceptional vocalism and commanding stage presence have riveted audiences and critics on four continents, including engagements with the National Theater of the Dominican Republic, Opera de Monte Carlo, Hamburgische Staatsoper, and a three-city tour of Japan. Considered one of the premier interpreters of the title role of Bizet’s Carmen, Ms. Horn-Barrett has performed the role well over 100 times, with major opera companies including the New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Opera Lyra Ottawa. Ms. Horn’s versatility has also been on display in acclaimed interpretations of the title role in Samson et Dalila, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Emilia in Otello, and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Also an accomplished concert singer, Ms. Horn-Barrett has appeared multiple times as soloist with major orchestras such as the Toronto Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, the Bach Society of Saint Louis, the Apollo Chorus of Chicago in Orchestra Hall, The National Chorale of New York City, and the American Symphony Orchestra in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. Her impassioned interpretations of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, the Brahms Alto Rhapsody, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and the Verdi Requiem have thrilled audiences for over two decades.

Ms. Horn-Barrett received her undergraduate musical training at the Conservatory of Music in Kansas City and completed her advanced vocal studies at the Juilliard School in New York City, where she was a graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center.

Ms. Horn currently resides in Greenville, SC, with her husband, baritone Thomas Barrett, and their two children, Andrew and Alyse. Read More

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TENOR
Robert Breault, tenor
Tenor Robert Breault enjoys an international career that features an extraordinary breadth of repertoire. His warm, flexible voice and superb artistic sensibilities combine to make him a consummate singing actor.

Robert Breault’s concert career highlights include performances with major orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Atlanta Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, London Philharmonia Orchestra, National Symphony of Taiwan, Jerusalem Symphony, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony, San Diego Symphony, the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, and the Utah Symphony, to name but a few.

Robert’s opera career features a wide array of repertoire and companies. With nearly 90 roles to his credit, highlights of his career include appearances with New York City Opera in Carmen, La Traviata, and Semele, for which he was awarded the company’s “Kolozsvar Award.” He has performed numerous times with Utah Opera, Opera Orchestra of New York, Atlanta Opera, and Arizona Opera. Robert has also appeared with companies such as Portland Opera, Edmonton Opera, Opera New Orleans, Florentine Opera, and numerous critically acclaimed performances with Chautauqua Opera.

Robert has served as Professor of Music and Director of Opera at the University of Utah since 1992. Read More

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BASS
Thomas Barrett, baritone
Internationally acclaimed baritone Thomas Barrett has performed in over 1000 performances as a featured soloist with opera companies and symphonies in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, St. Louis, Santa Fe, Charlotte, Houston, Kansas City, Detroit, Boston, Miami, Memphis, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Milwaukee, as well as internationally in Berlin, Toronto, Prague, Caracas, Leipzig, and Düsseldorf. James R. Oestreich of the The New York Times hailed Mr. Barrett as “dominating, vocally as well as dramatically.” He has earned notoriety and praise for his exceptional vocalism and commanding stage presence in such operatic roles as the title role in Don Giovanni, Marcello in La Bohème, Scarpia in Tosca, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, the High Priest in Samson et Dalila, and Escamillo in Carmen. Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe, in a review of Britten’s Rape of Lucretia, said that baritone Thomas Barrett “…boasts an important voice.”

Also an accomplished concert performer, Mr. Barrett has repeatedly received critical acclaim for his impassioned interpretations of major orchestral vocal works, including the Requiems of Brahms, Verdi, Mozart, and Fauré; Handel's Messiah; Haydn's Creation; Mendelssohn's Elijah; Bach's B minor Mass, St. John, and St. Matthew Passions; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Ninth Symphony; and of his work in Orff's Carmina Burana, Lee Teply of the Virginian Pilot commented, “Baritone Thomas Barrett gave the perfect effect to each of his solos, demonstrating both the depth of his voice and the range of characters it can suggest.”

As an educator, Mr. Barrett has served on the faculties of the University of Miami and the University of Missouri-St. Louis as both an artist-in-residence and professor. A champion of equipping future generations in the arts, Mr. Barrett has served as program director for vocal institutes at the Wintergreen Festival, the Innsbrook Institute, and artist-in-residence at the International Alba Music Festival, in addition to teaching a multitude of Master Classes and clinics. He has also served in the capacity of music director and stage director in several musical theater and operatic productions.

A graduate of the prestigious Julliard Opera Center, Mr. Barrett is the recipient of many vocal awards and honors, including a Sullivan Foundation grant, the Richard Gaddes Award from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Lotte Lehmann award from the Music Academy of the West. He studied with the late legendary Basso Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and his wife, Soprano Virginia Zeani, at Indiana University, the late Edward Zambara at Juilliard, and Trish McCaffrey as a professional.

Mr. Barrett and his wife, international operatic mezzo-soprano Angela Horn-Barrett, retired from full time singing in 2006, and currently reside in Greenville SC, where he serves as the Director of Worship and Arts at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. Read More