SING YOUR HEART OUT. Chippewa Valley Voices and the UWEC Choral Department are holding a singalong for the whole community this holiday season. (Photo via Facebook)

The Chippewa Valley is home to many amazing choirs that showcase the range of vocalists in our area. Whether you’re part of a choir or have only performed in the comfort of your shower, the community is invited to a Messiah Singalong on Thursday, Dec. 14 in Gantner Concert Hall at the Haas Fine Arts Building on the UW-Eau Claire campus.

Doors will open at 6pm with a brief warmup at 6:10pm, the performance starting at 6:30pm. Enjoy G.F. Handel’s Messiah, whose score can be printed for free online. Anyone who attends the event is encouraged to participate in the chorus or simply listen. UWEC faculty – Emily Sternfeld-Dunn (soprano), Christine Amon (mezzo-soprano), Mark Mowry (tenor), and Kenneth J. Pereira (baritone) – will be soloists at the singalong, with Alex Woods accompanying on the piano.

The Messiah Singalong is being hosted by the UWEC Choral Department and is a collaborative effort with the Chippewa Valley Voices, a new consortium of choirs in the Chippewa Valley area. These choirs include Chippewa Valley Area Sing, Chippewa Valley Community Chorus, Chippewa Valley Festival Choir, Chippewa Valley Youth Choirs, Chorale à Nouveau, Menomonie Singers, Schola Cantorum of Eau Claire, Spring Valley Community Choir, Stand in the Light Memory Choir, The Master Singers, UW-Eau Claire Choir, and UW-Stout Choir.

“As a singing community, we all want to create opportunities where we can bring our singers together to enjoy choral singing no matter their skill level,” said Dr. Jerry Hui, director of choral activities at UW-Stout and Chippewa Valley Voices organizer. “Messiah Singalong is a low-commitment opportunity – everyone can simply show up, without having to commit to a multi-week rehearsal schedule – and is an activity that many singers have participated in when they lived somewhere else.”

Tickets for the Messiah Singalong are $15 and can be purchased at uwec.universitytickets.com.