SEQUIM — This is a commanding work of art. It is worthy of the grandest museum, maestro Dewey Ehling believes — yet you can step inside it.
George F. Handel’s “Messiah,” the 273-year-old oratorio, will arrive on the voices of the assembly at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., at 3 p.m. today (Sunday).
Ehling will gather an orchestra of players from across the North Olympic Peninsula for the sing-along “Messiah,” open to all comers, whether they sing or not.
Admission is by donation to this event, whose official name is Handel with Care.
The care part comes from the tradition of sending all donations to Sequim Community Aid, provider of emergency financial help to people in and around the Dungeness Valley.
Also in keeping with tradition, the 20-piece Handel with Care orchestra brings together a community of musicians, from Port Angeles High School senior Michael Helwick to 92-year-old violinist Tom Berg.
Berg and his wife, flutist Lesa Barnes, will make the trip from their home in Port Townsend, as will cellist Diane Vaux.
The Port Angeles contingent will include Helwick, a double-bassist, along with violist Phil Morgan-Ellis and his student, ninth-grader Lauren Waldron.
And Sequim music teacher Mary Moon will bring one of her proteges, 16-year-old violinist Jasmine Gauthun.
This music is “glorious,” said Helwick, 17.
But don’t let that scare you off.
“Everybody’s there to have fun. Even if you don’t sing, just come and listen,” said the teen, who has been part of Handel with Care since he started high school four years ago.
If you do want to sing, scores will be handed out. And while you can sit anywhere you like, there will be sections in the church labeled for sopranos, tenors, basses and altos, if you prefer to be in a section of like parts.
At Handel with Care, “your audience is your choir. It’s just a blast,” Moon added.
“I look forward to this all year long . . . the music is an inspiration to me,” Moon continued.
“Handel said he felt it was coming from outside himself, pouring into his mind, and he could hardly keep his pen moving fast enough to write it down.
“It is so much fun to be a part of that. It feels good because I know we’re raising money for people in the community.”
Sequim Community Aid, a nongovernmental agency, helps struggling Sequim School District residents with utility bills and rent payments, said volunteer Shirley Anderson.
“The elderly and families with small children are the primary recipients,” she noted.
In 2013, Handel with Care raised close to $3,200, including a matching donation from an anonymous supporter, Anderson said.
Those who can’t come to the sing-along this Sunday may mail contributions to Sequim Community Aid, P.O. Box 1591, Sequim, WA 98382; the phone number for information is 360-681-3731.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
