Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Ben and I met friends downtown Olympia last night for the Messiah Sing Along. To say that we live in an unchurched community is an understatement. Downtown Olympia is a godless place that makes me feel bleak whenever I go there.

So imagine my surprise to find myself in a crowd of 1,000 people all singing "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain" and "Lord God omnipotent reigneth." It was pretty amazing. The words to the Messiah are powerful and amazing. To hear all the voices singing them in unison and be in Olympia and hear the conductor say "We are here to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior." Well that was cool.

Ben was transfixed by the orchestra (easily 150 strong) that included children as young as 13.

It has been so long since I read music or sang parts. It actually depressed me to think how musically uneducated our churches have become. (But that is NOT my post.) It took me a little bit to remember it (still can't read music well) and also revisit that I am NOT a soprano.

When it was all over, I took Ben for some chocolate cake and he regaled the waitress with football stats. She had never heard of "The Messiah" (the opera). Duly horrified.

Ben thinks he would like to go again next year; I bought the HUGE score so we will be ready.

2 comments:

Darc said...

Aww! That's cool!

akalinear said...

Aw, that's great! In my orchestra, we play a Messiah sing-along every year - and this year, it was standing room only (and they weren't all just older people, either). There is definitely an appetite for this! Merry Christmas!