Greater Elgin Sing-Along Messiah

“I have wanted to sing the Messiah most of my adult life. I cannot sing. You offered a casual approachable experience. It was wonderful to experience. “

“Beautiful performance! Our family enjoyed immensely!”

“On a technical note, there were several typos and errors in the program and
the transitions between songs were a little rough. “And He Shall Purify” was a
really tricky song for the audience. One thing that would have helped is the
director turning to cue the audience.
The performers all did a phenomenal job!!”

“This was truly a terrific event and for a great cause. We had a wonderful time
and look forward to the performance next year. ”

“It was a nice event, however, not really sing along. Since we were not seated in
vocal sections, it was difficult to sing. ”

“We very much enjoyed the event. It was very well planned and performed. I
was surprised and disappointed that you were not taking food donations for
the food bank. Something you should consider for next year. ”

“Definitely seat by vocal range! The main floor if you are actively singing, and
sit in the balcony if you want to just listen and be a true audience. Also, if you’re
serious about the audience being the chorus and not just listening, have the
singers stand when they are to sing. Everyone stood for the Hallelujah Chorus,
which is customary, and it was much better as a singer. A brief “vocal warmup”
and instructions on what to expect, and how to stand without having the seats
make a horrible racket should be considered before the performance begins
(10 or 15 min). Conductors should face the chorus when chorus parts are sung.
The professional choirs don’t need the conductor as much as the “ad-libbing”
audience does. And certainly the orchestra members should be able to follow
the conductor whether they see him from the back or the front. In the program,
the parts to be sung should follow the part numbers in the full Messiah score.
Not just #1, #2, #3, etc. Many chorus members were using their own scores and
not just the ones supplied by the organizers. It was difficult to tell what sections
to skip.
Great idea for the suburbs, and it went VERY well for the first year! Congrats!!”
Feedback

“I’m a Judson alum-loved having Dr. Kania as a prof. Your heart for this event
blesses my soul-thank you for doing it. Here are some truthful points that might
help next year: Most were not singing in audience so felt like singing alone.
Understand&appreciate family seating,but because so few were singing it
didn’t feel like sing-a-long except on Hallelujah Chorus.I’m a lifetime Elgin
resident/spent entire life in Elgin music/chorus/classical scene since 1980-
perhaps audience is also unaware of what to do, as the music culture has
changed a lot in last 20 years.Choirs were good,but recommend having choirs
all sing together on all choruses, audience needs more sound,especially with
chorus way in back.Of course the pieces with audience &soloists were
precise(by soloists), and are difficult to prepare for choir,but probably was too
quiet in audience&my guess is people were too intimidated to sing or
completely lost. Also seemed like many were there to support family member &
not to sing, so maybe those should be seated further back. I was seated toward
front close to soloists. Orchestra&Maria beyond excellent/fantastic!!! Great job
Dr.Hong on harpsichord. So wonderful to hear them. ECC great
location/venue.Perhaps reaching out to more highschool choirs-d300 as well,
or South Elgin/Bartlett Highschool& LOVED that you involved local church
choirs. As far as more singers in audience,heard about through Judson alum
newsletter that music dept. sends out…Other ways to promote -perhaps
spreading word through more church choirs&local school choirs & also trying
to sharing with former/retired local highschool music educators/teachers via
Facebook, so they can share with their many former local students who they
are FB friends with.Glad to hear you are doing it again, it was easy to get
tickets,loved you could download score, though I had one,love that anyone
could join.Loved the atmosphere & heart behind event esp. Dr. Kania’s story
about his Messiah performance as a child. ”

“Thoroughly enjoyed the evening”

“It was a beautiful event. We loved that local orchestras and performers led the
sing-along with top-notch performances. We were not familiar with many of the
movements, but we were able to sight read the music. We had learned of the
event through Judson University. We usually attended their Christmas program.
A community Sing-along with other Christmas music would also be
appreciated. We have attended the First Congregational Church sing-along in
the past.We also appreciated free will offerings for the local food pantry. With
everyone contributing talent and monetary gifts, it truly made it a community
event!”

“Perhaps a designated “singer” section and “observer” section i.e. “singers” in
main lower section and “observers” in the balcony. We sat in the balcony this
time and, while appreciating the view, felt a bit alone while singing. At least it
could be suggested to folks as they arrived.
Overall we really enjoyed the experience! ”

“Thanks for organizing the event. The greater Elgin/Fox Valley area will support
this event!”

“Loved it! I plan to go again next year. ”

“Great time and evening”

“Although a wonderful program, and I know it was edited, it was a bit long.”

“We had a wonderful time and all of the performers were fantastic!”

“It was wonderful. I think the performance would be enhanced if the full chorus
sang on every chorus as they did on the Hallelujah Chorus. I would be willing to
pay and made a contribution, but it felt so inclusive for the event to be free.
Congratulations!”

“Loved it! Thank you
Will come again.”

“The cost was a benefit and may have encouraged attendance – free brings
people and may be worth pursuing grants and support to keep it free. A sliding
fee “name your price donation” or free but “Make a donation” may also be an
option. I did not check sit with sections above, but am also in favor of it, not as
required but as an option for those who desire it. I may have chosen to sit with
my spouse, but may be open to section seating as well – depends who else I am
with (kids, friends, etc.) and may not be a flat answer. The option may still be
wise. For improvements, the choirs were the most uneven and it was not
necessary. Have all choirs sing en masse and not each choir carry its own. That
would be more balanced and a stronger experience. Sing along sections were
sometimes hard to sing a-melodic arpeggio patterns but Messiah has a lot of
that! I would say that overall, this was very good and the orchestra was
especially competent considering the mix of people and the timeframe to prep
– well done! This was a successful event=.”