LINDSBORG, KAN., Jan 9, 2024 – The Bethany Oratorio Society invites all interested singers to join in the first rehearsal for the Messiah Festival on January 28 at 3 p.m. on the Presser Hall stage on the Bethany College Campus.

The theme for this year’s festival is “Rejoice, Greatly!” The Bethany Oratorio Society has performed Handel’s “Messiah” every year since 1882 and Bach’s “The Passion According to St. Matthew” since 1929.

“I anticipate this year will be extra special, as it is my last year at the helm of the Bethany Oratorio Society. My wife was offered an outstanding position at Kansas State University, and we will move to Manhattan this summer. My time at Bethany has been wonderful, and I would love to cap it off with the best performance yet,” says Associate Professor of Music Mark Lucas, Director of the Bethany Oratorio Society

Guest soloists for this year’s concerts include Rebecca Myers, soprano; Alexandra Colaizzi, mezzo-soprano; James Reese, tenor; and John Buffett, bass. Leslie John Flanagan, baritone, will also be featured in the performance of “The Passion According to St. Matthew.”

Myers, Colaizzi, Reese, and Buffett will perform a free recital at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, at Messiah Lutheran Church on the Bethany College campus. They will also perform at the ticketed events, “The Passion According to St. Matthew,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 29, in Presser Hall Auditorium and Handel’s “Messiah” at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 31, in the same location.

For more information on this year’s soloists and to purchase tickets for each concert, please visit messiahfestival.org or call the festival office at (785) 227-3380 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.