The “Do-It-Yourself-Messiah,” one of Chicago’s most eagerly awaited Christmas traditions, moves this Dec. 20-21 to the Civic Opera House. With 3,600 seats, the venue can accommodate about 1,000 more chorus members in the audience than Orchestra Hall, the traditional location for the annual singalong to George Frederic Handel’s oratorio. We talked to Al Booth, founder of the event, about the move:
Q. The Civic Opera House is a much larger space than Orchestra Hall. How did that affect the event this year?
A. For the first time we’ll be using a screen that will show the conductor (Stanley Sperber, conductor of the Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel and a DIYM veteran) to the whole chorus. They are going to drop a screen behind the orchestra so that everybody can see him from every place throughout the hall. They’ll be able to see the conductor life-sized – actually larger than life.
Q. Will you also use the supertitle display screens the Lyric Opera uses in its productions?
A. No, no. Everybody comes with their own books, the Messiah scores. They all know the words.
Q. Do you think participants will be upset with the move and the break in tradition?
A. It should enhance (the event) for the simple reason that there is more room for more people. And the Lyric Opera is opera, it’s singing. At Orchestra Hall, there is singing, but it’s really a place for orchestral music. The real foundation of all vocal music is what the Lyric Opera is all about. I should think that they should be happier to sing in a place that is accustomed to singing. I think it’s going to be a real adventure for them.
Q. The DIYM will be performed at the Lyric Opera this year and next. Will this be the permanent home of the event?
A. We’re perfectly happy to perform the Messiah wherever the acoustics are good and where it is large enough so that people don’t have to call us up and say, “I haven’t been able to get a ticket for five years.” We also want to be in a traditional place where this type of music is heard.
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CLIP AND SAVE: Even with a larger venue, all of the free tickets for the 1998 singalong have been distributed. As for 1999, you’ll have to wait until Nov. 15, then mail a request to Messiah Tickets, LaSalle Bank, 135 S. La Salle St., Chicago, IL 60603. No requests postmarked before that date will be accepted.
