Ensembles

Handel Oratorio Society

After hearing a performance of Handel’s Messiah in London in 1879, Olof Olsson, professor of theology at Augustana, founded the Augustana Oratorio Society. The first performance combined choirs from Moline, Rock Island, and Andover, Illinois with the Augustana Symphony Orchestra (also founded in 1879). In 1898, after a successful effort to enlist wide community participation, the organization was named the Handel Oratorio Society. Since the turn of the century the Society has performed Messiah each Christmas. The annual spring oratorio explores the riches of the choral-orchestral literature. Past performances have included such works as Bach’s Passion According to St. Matthew and Mass in B Minor , Poulenc’s Gloria , Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the Requiems of Brahms, Mozart, Verdi, Faure, and Durufle. The Musicians of the Handel Oratorio Society include community members, the Augustana Choir, the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, and invited soloists.

Dr. Jon Hurty, Conductor

2009-2010 Season

G. F. Handel, Messiah
Saturday, December 12, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 13, 2:00p.m.
Centennial Hall, Augustana College

Handel Oratorio Society and Quad City Choral Arts
Handel Oratorio Society Chamber Orchestra
Jon Hurty, conductor
Sarah Hibbard, soprano
Jessye Wright, alto
Brent Wilson, tenor
Mark Walters, baritone

Tickets for Messiah available through the Augustana ticket office 309-794-7306 or http://www.augustana.edu/tickets

G. F. Handel, Zadok the Priest
W. A. Mozart, Exsultate, jubilate
Carl Orff, Carmina Burana
Saturday, February 6, 8:00 p.m., Adler Theater, Davenport Iowa
Sunday, February 7, 2:00 p.m., Centennial Hall, Augustana College

Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Handel Oratorio Society and Quad City Choral Arts
Jon Hurty, Conductor
Mary Wilson, Soprano
Andrew Garland, Baritone
Alfred E. Sturgis, Countertenor

Tickets for Carmina Burana available through the Quad City Symphony ticket office at http://www.qcsymphony.com