I admit that I am not a big Christmas fan but I really do enjoy Handel’s Messiah (written, let’s remind ourselves, to be sung at Easter). So when I read this invitation from Tafelmusik, I was a little titillated.

Indeed, the baroque orchestra just launched a contest to find the the best 90-second video celebrating the  spirit of their annual Sing-Along Messiah performance. As the media release says, “Now is your chance to show the world your finest Sing-Along voice by recording your best rendition of your favourite Messiah excerpt in a 90-second video that will be viewable worldwide. Be creative! Have fun! Sing your heart out with friends and family or be a daring soloist. You can appear in the video, or not, as long as the music and/or voices in the video are your own. (You could even film yourself as a sock puppet!). It doesn’t matter if you are a member of a choir, or you have never sung before – if you enjoy Handel’s Messiah, show us your stuff.”

Prizes will be offered for the Best Overall Performance, Best Group / Family, Best Soloist, and Most Creative, and the final decisions will be made by Mr. Handel himself, at the annual concert. For more information, you can visit Tafelmusik’s website

You can learn a little bit about Messiah by reading this article, published a few years back in La Scena Musicale…