(Enlarge) Soprano Amy Van Roekel will be among the guest soloists for the annual 'Messiah' oratorio by the Columbia Pro Cantare.

When Columbia Pro Cantare founder and director Frances Motyca Dawson decided to have her group perform Handel's "Messiah" in late 1984, she was thinking of it as a one-time occurrence. But fortune is also destiny, and come Dec. 7 the chorus will be performing the piece for the 25th time.

And no one could be more surprised about all this than Dawson herself.

"People tell us that this is the only way they can begin their Christmas season -- this is where they want to be," says the longtime Columbia resident. "We do give it early in December for that reason."

Dawson says the "Messiah" concert ranks as her ensemble's most popular all year. Only the occasional bout of inclement weather has kept crowds away. One reason it has remained so popular is that Dawson ensures the piece remains audience-friendly. When George Frideric Handel composed it in 1741, he intended it as an exhaustive, three-part choral piece about the life of Jesus, meant to last several hours.

Dawson's abridgement utilizes the entire first part (the birth of Christ section) and only select portions of the remaining work, most notably part two, which concludes with the much-celebrated "Hallelujah" chorus.

"If we did the whole thing," Dawson says in her usual matter-of-fact manner, "people would be there for three hours. It's not what people would want to do this busy time of year.

"It's still a full-length concert," she stresses, "but if you did the complete 'Messiah,' you would have a very long concert. On the other hand, performing just the Christmas portion, I think misses something too."

Dawson's presentation carries forward a tradition begun by Handel himself, who used to alter the work to suit different choral groups and audiences. No "definitive" version thus can be said to exist.

For this year's presentation, the Columbia Pro Cantare will utilize around 110 singers. There will also be a small orchestra featuring Sundays at Three artistic director Ronald Mutchnik as concert master. Acclaimed area organist Henry Lowe will return to his role on the keyboards.

Again, Dawson has attracted several popular soloists to perform along with the Pro Cantare. This year, they'll include soprano Amy Van Roekel, mezzo Mary Ann McCormick, tenor Mark Schowalter, and bass David Michael. Of special note is Schowalter, who is scheduled to appear at New York's Metropolitian Opera later this month as part of Prokofiev's "War and Peace."

As to why audiences return year after year, Dawson has a couple of theories. One reason is that Handel's background was in opera, so his work has a sense of drama that goes far beyond other choral pieces.

"The messages from the Old and New Testaments inspired extremely great music from Handel and his music reflects the text in such a great way," she says.

The other reason "Messiah" has endured with audiences, Dawson says, is that there is no substitute for the give-and-take energy of live performance. Like in a good baseball game, an excited crowd can inspire the players to perform even better.

"In a live performance you get a sense of community, because it's a shared experience from the chorus and the audience. And we definitely feel the support and intensity coming from the audience," Dawson ends.

The Columbia Pro Cantare will perform Handel's "Messiah" Sunday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in The Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia. Advance tickets are $23 general, $20 for senior citizens and students ($25 and $22 at the door, respectively). The concert will be preceded by a free 6:30 p.m. lecture by musicologist Dr. Barbara Renton. Call 301-854-0107 or 410-799-9321, or go to www.procantare.org.

Other area 'Messiahs'

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and conductor Edward Polochick have been collaborating on performances of Handel's "Messiah" since 1982. This year's concert takes place Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Polochick is the artistic director of the Concert Artists of Baltimore, and that group's symphonic chorale will be featured as vocalists in the concert. There will also be a host of soloists singing lead parts in this ever-popular event. Most notable among these is mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera.

Also featured will be tenor Bryan Hymel, who won First Prize in the 2008 Licia Albanese/Puccini Foundation Competition, and baritone Stephen Powell, who has sung with the Los Angeles Opera and New York City Opera. The soloists will be rounded out with soprano Amanda Forsythe, who has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Polochick himself will conduct from the harpsichord, making him one of the few "keyboard conductors" extant. His take on the work, he says, will not be radically different, but an evolution of the sound he has help craft over the past two-and-a-half decades. Tickets run $20 to $60. Call 410-783-8000 or go to www.BSOmusic.org.

The Handel Choir of Baltimore will pay tribute to its namesake when it offers its own version of "Messiah" Saturday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. at the Church of the Immaculate Conception (200 Ware Avenue, Towson). Artistic director Melinda O'Neal will conduct the concert, which will feature both the choir and the Handel Period Instrument Orchestra.

Soloists will include soprano Clara Rottsolk, alto Monica Reinagel, tenor Aaron Sheehan and bass Jason Hardy. WBJC-FM radio host Jonathan Palevsky will give a 7 p.m. pre-concert lecture. Tickets run $25 to $44. Call 410-366-6544 or go to www.handelchoirtemp.org.

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