Messiah!

Last night I had the awesome and totally fun experience of singing The Messiah with the combined choirs from my church (St. Joseph's) and another one in a suburb just north of us. The other church (Faith, Hope, and Charity Catholic Church) hosted the concert and arranged the orchestra (including a harpsichord!). With two church choirs combined we had a very large ensemble. We presented highlights from Handel's work (the whole work in its entirety is around 3 hours, so ours was trimmed *a bit*). I had sung the Hallelujah Chorus before, but nothing else, so needed to learn several more pieces.

It was so much fun, and so moving.
Best parts:

• Singing newer music with only a few mistakes.
• Working with our two fabulous choir directors: Christian from FHC, who conducted, and Jill from St. Joe's, who played the organ.
• Realizing that people actually do stand up, in the manner of King George II, when the Hallelujah Chorus is performed (If I had known, I would have warned Paul and Kristin, who came to see us and were a little confused when everyone stood up!).
• Singing as a gathering of Christians, as one voice in praise of God.
• The end, when all was done, and I was trembling from effort and holding back tears of joy at being a part of this.

What a wonderful way to experience Advent.