Handel's 'Messiah' at Blessed Sacrament
Advance: $25
At the door: $30 ($25 student/senior)
- Caitlin Hennessy, soprano soloist
- Cassandra Willock, soprano soloist
- Nori Heikkinen, alto soloist
- Jeremy Edelstein, tenor
- Alan Wheaton, tenor soloist
- Zach Rude, tenor soloist
- Michael Beetham, baritone soloist
- James Mayclin, baritone soloist
- Matthew Gagliardi, countertenor
- Steve Creswell, violin
- Shelby Erin Mass, violin
- Cecilia Archuleta, violin
- Eleanor Legault, violin
- Laura Kramer, cello
- Rylie Patching, bassoon
- Judson Jay Scott, trumpet
- Gordon Ullmann, trumpet
- Dan Oie, timpani
- Laurel Wells, viola
- Michael Plagerman, conductor
After a four year hiatus, Messiah at Blessed Sacrament is back!
The Church of the Blessed Sacrament presents selections from Handel's ever-popular Messiah. This event will showcase seasonal favorites, including "And the Glory of the Lord," "For Unto Us A Child Is Born," and the chorus, "Hallelujah" sung by the church's Concert Choir and accompanied by baroque instruments. Please join us in the warm atmosphere of our historic church to celebrate the holiday season with this perennial favorite.
About Blessed Sacrament Concert Choir
The Concert Choir comprises the professional octet of Blessed Sacrament parish and eight additional volunteers and paid singers selected to constitute a full choir of highly trained and professional vocalists. This is the primary ensemble for concerts with small orchestras, such as the annual production of Handel’s oratorio Messiah.
https://www.blessed-sacrament.org/choirAbout Blessed Sacrament Cantorei
The Cantorei is the all-professional octet of the parish that sings for the weekly noon Mass, which always features a choral setting of the ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus/Benedictus, and Agnus Dei). The group is open to volunteer participation, but requires a substantial amount of vocal training and a very high level of musical ability. Rehearsals are Sundays at 10:45am for the noon Mass as well as other times as called and required for the performance of additional liturgies throughout the year such as those during Christmas and Holy Week.
https://www.blessed-sacrament.org/choirAbout Caitlin Hennessy, soprano soloist
About Cassandra Willock, soprano soloist
Cassandra Willock is a soprano from Shoreline, Washington. In 2017, she graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a BM in Vocal Performance and an Economics Minor. Cassandra has been seen as Jou-Jou in Tacoma Opera's The Merry Widow and as Rose Maurrant in PLU's summer workshop production of Street Scene; she has also worked with Seattle Opera in their education programs as a teaching assistant.
https://www.blessed-sacrament.org/cassandra-willockAbout Nori Heikkinen, alto soloist
About Jeremy Edelstein, tenor
About Alan Wheaton, tenor soloist
Alan Wheaton is an active professional tenor in the Seattle area. In addition to his freelance work, Alan serves as a section leader at Christ Episcopal Church and a regular singer for the Dickens Carolers. He is also past member and cantor with the St. Mark’s Compline Choir.
https://www.blessed-sacrament.org/alan-wheatonAbout Zach Rude, tenor soloist
About Michael Beetham, baritone soloist
About Steve Creswell, violin
Steve Creswell, viola and violin, believes in the nurturing power of the musical project. Originally from the Midwest, Steve has lived for 20-plus years in the Pacific NW and treasures many experiences with audiences and small ensembles here, from the North Corner Chamber Orchestra to baroque orchestras in Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver. Steve has toured with groups including La Monica from LA and Opera Lafayette in Washington, DC and New York. More locally he has collaborated with the Lafayettte Quartet (no direct relation to Opera) and has devoted countless hours to musical education for young people in programs in and out of the school districts.
https://www.nocco.org/steve-creswellAbout Shelby Erin Mass, violin
Shelby Mass is a violinist currently based in Seattle, Washington. She has a master's degree in baroque violin from the Historical Performance Institute at the Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Stanley Ritchie and Ingrid Matthews. She also holds a bachelor's degree in violin performance from Miami University of Ohio where she studied with Harvey Thurmer and was awarded Outstanding Music Scholar.
Since joining Seattle's musical community, she has played with Byron Schenkman and Friends, the North Corner Chamber Orchestra, the Saratoga Orchestra, the Northwest Sinfonietta, Music at Epiphany Parish, and the McCall Mountain Symphony. Shelby became involved in Early Music through the Cincinnati Early Music Festival, the Bloomington Early Music Festival and the Bloomington Bach Cantata Project. While living in Indiana she also enjoyed playing with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, among others.
About Laura Kramer, cello
Laura Kramer has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician on baroque and modern cello. She has performed as continuo and solo cellist with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, NYS Baroque, the Grande Bande and Glimmerglass Opera. Laura also performs with many choral groups in the Seattle area, including Seattle Bach Choir, Mirinesse Women's Choir, Bellvue Chamber Chorus and Vespertine Opera.
About Rylie Patching, bassoon
About Judson Jay Scott, trumpet
About Michael Plagerman, conductor
Michael Plagerman is the Director of Sacred Music at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Seattle, where he oversees concert planning, shares organ duties, and directs the parish choir as well as the cantorei, a professional vocal ensemble that sings choral masses and concerts throughout the year. Michael holds degrees from Pacific Lutheran University, the University of Notre Dame, and Cornell University where he studied with Paul Tegels, Craig Cramer, Douglas Reid, Nathan Laube, Christophe Mantoux, and Annette Richards. In the completion of these degrees, he has received numerous scholarships and awards including the James D. Holloway Scholar, the David P. Dahl Organ Scholar, and the Craig Cramer Award in Organ Performance. He is currently finishing his doctoral dissertation through Cornell University, researching late 19th-century American organ performance in Boston.
https://music.cornell.edu/michael-plagerman