The Society
The Messiah Choral Society is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) civic organization based in Winter Park, Florida. The Society is not affiliated with any religious organization. We are open for all singers to participate. Each year we raise all the funds necessary to continue our mission of providing a fine performance which is free to the public.
We welcome you to explore our site. You can participate with us as we continue to present this free gift to our local community for generations to come. You can add your voice to our choir, become an Associate Member, or attend our free performance, which is an overwhelming experience. Regardless of how you choose to participate, your heart will be filled with the beauty of this exquisite music, which so moved Franz Joseph Haydn that he wrote, "Handel was the master of us all."
"Handel was the greatest composer that ever lived. I would remove my cap and kneel at his tomb. I can still learn from him." - Beethoven
"When Handel chooses, he strikes like thunder." - Mozart
Join us for the most magnificent musical experience of your lifetime!
Overview
The Messiah Choral Society was established in 1973 by Bill Jarvis, a prominent music director at a church in Orlando. Mr. Jarvis formed the Society because he believed that Handel's Messiah stands by itself as an oratorio worthy of a choral group dedicated solely to its performance. From the beginning, the purpose of the Messiah Choral Society has been to perform Handel's Messiah free to the public and open to all singers. This tradition has continued every year since 1973, so that we are now in our 38th season.
Our main performance is at Orlando's Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, one of the city's most prestigious venues for artistic events. There are no tickets and there is no admission charge. Instead, the Society raises all of the funds necessary to pay for this spectacular gift to our community, in accordance with the organization's mission since its founding.
If you are a singer who strives for excellence, we invite you to join our Society as a Full Member (click Membership from the menu for details). We begin our rehearsals in early September, continuing our work every Sunday afternoon through the first Sunday after Thanksgiving, which is typically the day of our concert. If you are unable to be a Society singer, then we wholeheartedly invite you to become an Associate Member and also to attend our performance!
Whether you sing with us or are a member of our audience, you'll be sure to have an unparalleled artistic experience, the result of our dedication in performing this most magnificent and powerful musical composition. We look forward to your participation!
Educational Outreach
The Choral Scholars Program, initiated in 2007, was our first educational outreach program. Although the Society exists primarily as an adult organization, the intention of the founder was to provide artistic opportunity to a diverse age group, including young adults. Our Board has recognized the increasing challenge in attracting the younger demographic to the pursuit of learning/performing demanding classical music.
The program was created to reach out to high school seniors and offer them not only a rewarding educational and artistic experience, but one that will develop an adult sense of responsibility, service, and commitment. To recognize their participation, the Society awards each Choral Scholar who satisfactorily completes the season a $500 scholarship. The Society benefits by introducing young people to the Messiah Choral Society, not only to mentor them in developing an appreciation of classical masterpieces, but with the hope that it will build the basis for future young adult members. Since the program's inception in 2007, 24 students have been accepted into the Choral Scholars Program and successfully completed the season requirements.
Each year, the Society selects four area high schools and invites the choral directors from each school to nominate one or two students for the Choral Scholars Program (depending on available funding). Additionally, one or two students from the music program at Rollins College are nominated for participation.
Get to Know Us Better
Messiah Choral Society is proud to be recognized as one of the first nonprofits in Central Florida to be totally transparent. You'll be seeing a lot about a new knowledge base established by the Community Foundation of Central Florida to help donors and philanthropists validate the organizations they support. You can be among the first to visit and see everything from our management, governance, and programs to an in-depth look at our finances that is searchable and validated. The Community Foundation's leadership believes this new site will allow local nonprofits more exposure to the community, new sources of funding and improved performance. To see our Portrait, click
