‘Messiah’ performance to include third movement

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MIDDLETOWN — The annual performances of Handel’s “Messiah” have been resonating with area residents for 71 years. This year, however, that resonance will have some low end to it.

That’s because the performance at 3 p.m. Sunday at the First United Methodist Church at 120 S. Broad St. features something rare: a bass soloist. He is John Whittlesey, who is originally from Monroe but is performing in this area for the first time since 1987.

“My sister is in the Chorus and I said if they ever needed a bass soloist, I would make that trip,” Whittlesey said. His sister is Stephanie Mackey.

Handel’s “Messiah” usually calls for a quartet of vocal soloists: a soprano, a tenor, an alto and a bass. “Usually they would have a quartet from CCM,” Whittlesey said, referring to Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. “This time they decided to let someone from here come back.” He has appeared with Boston Lyric Opera, the Kennedy Center, New England Light Opera, Cape Cod Opera, Longwood Opera, the Masterworks Chorale, Wellesley College, the Salisbury Singers, and the Chorus North Shore.

And Whittlesey’s bass part isn’t all that’s distinct about this year’s performance. Most concerts of the “Messiah” feature only the first and second movements, but Middletown’s performance will feature parts of the third section, which actually was written for Easter.

That way, “it’s like a cross-section of the entire ‘Messiah,’ ” Whittlesey said.

Whittlesey has sung the “Messiah” 13 times in the last 10 years.

“It never grows stale,” he said. “As I get older, it feels different every time I perform it.”

Similarly, the “Messiah” has remained vital for Kate Lindsey, an alto in the chorus who has performed with the group for 15 years.

“It’s like the start of the season. I just love singing it. It’s a staple and it’s been around forever,” she said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.