Messiah Project, the local Christian organization whose mission is to “present our Judeo-Christian heritage through the visual and performing arts,” will tour Austria and visit Krakow, Poland during a two-week performing and sightseeing trip later this month. Some twenty members of the group’s Credo Chamber Choir, directed by Heather Nelson, will make the trip, along with frequent Messiah Project collaborator, Arkansas-based concert organist Jonathan Story, and soprano Kara Story. They’ll give Springfield a preview of their concert-tour repertoire at a concert Sunday June 5th at 7:00pm at All Saints Anglican Church, 2751 E. Galloway. It’s free and open to the public, but donations will be appreciated.
Heather Nelson tells us the featured work on the program is the Mass No.2 in G major by Schubert. “And we’re adding a really lovely arrangement of Amazing Grace by—well, I call him a ‘kid,’ but he’s probably 23 years old—E.W. ‘Skip’ Stradtman III, who just graduated from Florida State University. And we will actually give the European premiere of that piece—we’ll beat out a festival in Ireland by about three days! The choir will also perform The Majesty and Glory of Your Name by Tom Fettke.”
In addition to stops in Vienna and Salzburg, the group will also visit Hallstadt, Austria, which Heather describes as “a very picturesque city along a lake.” We’ll be there a couple of days and perform in one of the cathedrals in that town. We have a wonderful opportunity to basically drive through almost the entire country of Austria. One of the reasons that we’re able to take this tour is that Jonathan Story has been invited to perform an organ recital at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. That will be the very first event that we have when we get into Austria. He has a Tuesday noon concert, I believe, and this is a very prestigious thing for him. We don’t get to sing, but we will be able to be there to support him. He has been instrumental—pardon the pun—in putting this tour together and getting us the locations to sing.” Story will perform some of the organ works for his Mozarteum recital at Sunday’s concert in Springfield.
The troupe will also visit and perform in Krakow, Poland as part of this two-week tour, scheduled for June 16-30.
For more information visit www.messiahproject.org.