An Idaho Falls-based volunteer choir will perform a “Messiah Sing-In” featuring music from Handel’s “Messiah” and is looking to involve the audience in the concert.
The show will take place at Thunder Ridge High School in Ammon on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend the free event that’s been billed as a “non-denominational celebration of Christmas.”
The choir is made up of residents from Bonneville, Jefferson, and Madison Counties and will be accompanied by a community orchestra. In the well-known “Hallelujah Chorus” of the composition, the audience will be invited to sing along.
The performance will feature auditioned soloists as well, including Karin Dance, Molly Gordon, Heather Douglass, Jessica Harwood, Grisel Gonzalez, Cindy Coletti, Katherine High, Joe Fairbank, Jean-Michel Knickerbocker, and Sean Coletti.
Sean Coletti, mayor of the city of Ammon and one of the founding members of the choir, spoke about the upcoming event in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio.
“It’s pretty amazing how quickly things can come together,” he said of the process of forming the choir. “The interest has really been quite great. I think that can just be attributed to the greatness of the work.”
Coletti said the choir will perform around a dozen songs from “Messiah” including strictly orchestral and strictly choral pieces, as well as combined songs.
The idea for the performance came from a member of Coletti’s Latter-day Saint ward choir, for which Coletti serves as director. It’s grown quickly to about 100 members from around the area and is expected to become an annual tradition.
“I’m a believer that if you want something to happen and you ask people to do it, you can get things done,” Coletti said. “I’ve been really impressed with the desire of the community to do this.”
The choir would still accept anyone who wants to sing with them. Coletti said the best thing to do if you’re interested is show up at their next rehearsal after doing some individual practice with the music.
That rehearsal will take place at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building at 4363 E 17th St in Ammon on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.