Harrison Community Choir to Perform "Messiah" at First Baptist Church

Harrison Community Choir will perform on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in First Baptist Church.

Michael Crouch and Robin Seymore appeared on KHOZ's "Around The Table" to talk about the choir and the upcoming free-to the-public performance of part of "Messiah." Crouch is the director and Seymore is a singer in the group. Crouch discussed the composition.

"Messiah" was written by George Frideric Handel. The composition, Crouch said, has come to be known as "Handel's greatest work."

Handel wrote the music in 24 days while in London, where Crouch said the composer spent much of his life. "Messiah is an oratorio," he said. It's like opera but different. A key difference is that oratorios are "mainly religious."

Earlier, Crouch provided more background Handel Handel was born in Germany, was one of the high or late Baroque music composers. The director said the late composer was born in 1685 and died in 1759.

"The classical period began in 1750, so he kind of crossed from the baroque to the classical," Crouch said.

The choir director described the Handel as "one of the bigs." Among that category are people like Beethoven and more.

Seymore explained that the choir started when Crouch was in college. She also revealed that he was her ninth-grade choir director. Seymore has history with the choir.

She said her involvement has spanned 13 or 14 years. She recalled that it began when she would go with her grandmother to watch her grandmother and the choir she was in rehearse. "I get to use her music, and so it's really meaningful for me," Seymore said.

For Crouch, the Harrison Community Choir offered a welcome change during his retirement. He sang in the choir last year; the director said it was "very good for me."

Prior to that experience, he hadn't sung in a choir since the eighties. More was discussed on the broadcast.

The full interview with Seymore and Crouch is on the "Around The Table" Facebook Page.