Elgin Sing-Along ’Messiah’ set for Dec. 6

Tickets are now available for the third annual Elgin Sing-Along Messiah at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 at the Blizzard Theatre at the Elgin Community College Arts Center.

Proceeds from the event will benefit PADS of Elgin, a congregate shelter servings individuals experiencing homelessness in the local area. The event is sponsored by Elgin Community College, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and an anonymous donor, according to a news release.

The festive sing-along event allows the audience to participate as they sing the chorus in selections from Handel’s famed “Messiah” while accompanied by Elgin area musicians and vocalists, including the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Midwest Opera Theatre and members of the Elgin Master Chorale. Soloists include soprano Maria Kanyova, mezzo soprano Emma Dickens, tenor Stephen Michael Patrick, and bass David Govertsen, the release stated.

Chicago area conductor and educator Matthew Sheppard, who is also artistic director at the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, will lead the performance which is just over an hour long and features the Christmas-focused selections from the “Messiah.”

Chorus scores will be available at the door for those who would like to sing along. Audience members may choose to sit by vocal section, where members of the Elgin Master Chorale will assist in leading the section in the choruses, or in a general seating area.

Tickets are $5, plus a $2 handling fee. Children 12 and younger are free. Ticket buyers can use the code MESSIAH at check out to have the $5 processing fee per order waived, courtesy of Elgin Community College. Learn more and reserve tickets at www.elginsing-alongmessiah.org.