The Mebane Community Choir will present the Christmas portions of George Frideric Handel’s master oratorio, Messiah, on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. in the sanctuary of the Mebane Presbyterian Church, 402 South Fifth Street in Mebane, North Carolina.
The choir will perform under the artistic direction of Mr. Sam Doyle of Greensboro and the accompaniment of Mr. W. Thomas Jones of Mebane.
Soloists will include 1979 Elon alumna, Susie Bullard Sanford, alto, as well as Beth Allen, soprano; Liza Hawkins, alto; Ronnie Jones, tenor; and Jeff Smith, bass.
“Messiah” in Mebane is a tradition that extends midway back into the previous century. The late Dr. George Bullard, a 1943 Elon graduate and a member of the Elon Board of Trustees from 1967 to 1973, organized the first community performance of Messiah in Mebane in the 1951 Christmas season. The community presented the Oratorio annually until Doctor Bullard’s untimely death in 1973.
This year’s performance will be the 39th presentation and the 17th consecutive performance since Messiah in Mebane’s revival in 1991. Dr. Bullard’s daughter, Susie Bullard Sanford, a 1979 Elon alumna, serves on the choir’s governing board as well as in the choir’s alto section.
The Mebane Community Choir is a non-denominational, community chorus open to all singers. No fees are required of members, and the choir provides scores and robes for all performers.
For more information, contact Dot Sutton, 919-563-1360.