George Frederick Handel’s Messiah tells the story of Christ, from the prophecy of his birth through to his death, resurrection, and eternal life. The J. F. Oberlin University Choir will perform the Messiah on Saturday, December 9, in Keikandō, the chapel on Machida Campus. It will be a grand performance, featuring a pipe organ, a piano, and woodwind instruments, and choir members selected through an audition process will perform solos. A professional countertenor will also sing.

The J. F. Oberlin University Choir was established in April, 2002. It includes students from various fields of study as well as graduates of the university, and it practices twice a week. In addition to performing at important university events such as the entrance ceremony and the commencement ceremony, the choir sings at a variety of churches and other venues. It also sings at the School Festival and performs several seasonal concerts. It has been staging the Messiah annually since 2003, and the quality of the performance has brought praise not only from within the university but from the surrounding community in general.

The performance is open to everybody. There is no admission fee, and reservations are not required. Please note, however, that the chapel seats 400; additional spectators will have to stand. Note also that the chapel has no parking available, so we ask everybody to use public transportation and/or the school buses that run between Machida Campus and Fuchinobe Station.

• For more (in Japanese), click here.

• For profiles (in Japanese) of the musicians who will be performing, click here.