The Uxbridge Messiah Singers are preparing December performances that will mark Thomas Baker’s final season as artistic director, adding a leadership milestone to a long-running North Durham choral tradition.
In a November 4 account submitted to the Uxbridge Cosmos, bass soloist and associate director Jonathan Liebich said rehearsals had begun for the choir’s biennial presentation of Handel’s Messiah.
Two evenings at Uxbridge Baptist Church
Performances are scheduled for Monday, December 14 and Tuesday, December 15 at 7 p.m. at Uxbridge Baptist Church. The dates, venue and start time are confirmed by the event’s official Star Ticketing listing.
The choir will perform with a professional orchestra that the listing says includes members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Leslie Higgins is listed as soprano soloist, Elita Cho-Gagner as alto, Benjamin Done as tenor and Liebich as bass soloist and associate director. Baker remains artistic director for these performances.
A tradition reaching back to 1980
The organizer-submitted Cosmos account traces the Uxbridge Messiah tradition to 1980, when the Uxbridge Ministerial Association organized performances directed by Roy Menagh.
Baker took on artistic leadership for the 1984 performances. The account credits his tenure with developing the event’s place in the local December calendar and introducing professional soloists in 2008.
The November report identifies this year as his final season. It does not name a successor.
Ticket and access information
Star Ticketing lists general admission at $40, including ticket fees, and a running time of three hours with a 20-minute intermission. Its listing states that purchased tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged.
The Uxbridge Messiah Singers also offer a pay-it-forward programme intended to help people for whom the ticket price would be a barrier. The ticketing page directs enquiries about that option to the choir’s own website.
Audiences can check the official event listing for availability and booking terms. This year’s concerts combine the returning musical programme with a farewell season for its longtime artistic leader.
