SEQUIM — In anticipation of the annual event known as Handel with Care — a sing-it-yourself Handel’s “Messiah” — Shirley Anderson cuts straight to the chase.
Everyone, she said, be they singer, listener or both, is invited to partake in the music this Sunday afternoon at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
There’s no admission charge, while donations are accepted for Sequim Community Aid, the venerable charity serving needy local people.
This year’s sing-along, “Messiah,” will begin at 3 p.m. with the man who has led its singers and orchestra for 14 years now: maestro Dewey Ehling. Copies of the score will be handed out, even as some bring theirs from past years.
“It’s a great opportunity for all singers and non-singers to participate,” said Ehling, who is interested in one quality among the singers: enthusiasm.
Because it’s not practical to perform Handel’s oratorio in its entirety, Ehling makes selections.
Solo parts
His choices for 2015 reflect the feeling of the work, with solo parts including “Every Valley Shall Be Exalted,” “For Unto Us a Child Is Born,” “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion,” “He Shall Feed His Flock” — and that’s just in the first half.
After intermission come more than a dozen other pieces including “And with His Stripes We Are Healed,” “Behold, and See,” “I Know that My Redeemer Liveth” and “Behold I Tell You a Mystery.”
Hallelujah chorus
The afternoon also will feature that rather well-liked piece, the “Hallelujah!” chorus.
John Melcher, a cellist in the 20-piece “Messiah” orchestra for the past several years, offered a review of the singers.
“They sound great,” he said, adding that the voices, and this music, lift him up.
“You can wear yourself out if not careful,” said Melcher, who also plays in the Port Angeles Symphony.
With the “Messiah,” “I get carried away with it. I want to play as loud as I can” — this is a celebration, after all.
Singers are invited to sit in sections labeled for sopranos, altos, tenors and basses, but everyone is welcome to sit wherever they feel comfortable.
Ehling will have soloists: Vicki Helwick of Port Angeles and Karen Pritchard of Sequim, both members of the Peninsula Singers choir, among them.
Also scheduled to appear are soprano Jaie Livingstone, back in town from Oregon where she’s studying for a master’s in music and choral conducting at Portland State, and tenor Nick Fritschler, a Port Angeles High School graduate home from Spokane, where he studies at Gonzaga University.
Pearl Harbor survivor
The “Messiah” orchestra’s musicians also include Tom Berg, a 93-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor from Port Townsend, and his wife, flutist Lesa Barnes.
“As a violin player, I play every piece, and I enjoy every one of them,” Berg said
“We look forward to playing the ‘Messiah’ sing-along all year . . . Playing under Dewey’s baton is a privilege and always a delight.”
Barnes feels the same, adding that although the flutes play fewer than half of this year’s pieces, she’ll savor the chance to just listen.
Jasmine Gauthun, 16, of Sequim sits in the violin section with Berg.
She played in the “Messiah” orchestra for the first time last year, and this month, she’s eager to rejoin the diverse group of musicians.
Anderson, likewise, is relishing the preparations for this 16th Handel with Care.
Sequim Community Aid
Many thousands of dollars have been raised over the years for Sequim Community Aid, which is sustained by its local donations.
The organization, which also receives contributions via SCA, P.O. Box 1591, Sequim, WA 98382, can be reached at 360-681-3731. Along with the pre-Christmas “Toys for Sequim Kids” giveaway, Sequim Community Aid provides emergency assistance with rent and utility bills.
“Aging adults and families are in need of the most help,” especially in January, Anderson said.
The first Handel with Care took place in Sequim at Easter in 2001; the late Nico Snel, then conductor of the Port Angeles Symphony, led the orchestra and singers through the “Messiah.”
Later that year, Anderson and the musicians decided to move the event to a date between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so another was set for December 2001.
Due to his ill health, Snel asked Ehling to conduct. He has done so ever since.
“This is truly Christmas for us: a chance to help make our whole community stronger, and together looking after each other,” said Anderson. With the donations that come in, “we are able to give SCA enough money to respond to emergency needs in Sequim during the next few weeks.
“The darkest and coldest time of our year [is] made brighter with the inspiration of Handel’s ‘Messiah.’ ”
________
Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
