About GCS - Handel's Messiah

Gloucester Choral Society, led by our acclaimed choral and orchestral director Adrian Partington, invites you and your family to start your Christmas preparations with Messiah by the German-born composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759).

Messiah is a traditional favourite and, for many, singing Messiah at the beginning of December marks the start of Christmas time. It’s really the most glorious way to kick off the festive season!

This season we are delighted to be working with the world-class, award-winning ensemble, La Serenissima, and their director and leader Adrian Chandler. They have twice won the Gramophone Award for ‘Baroque Instrumental’ (in 2010 & 2017) and have topped the UK Specialist Classical Chart. They will be assisted by our own Jonathan Hope on the Chamber Organ.

GCS performs Messiah at the start of Advent two out of every three seasons and, on each occasion, Adrian Partington has sought to extract more and more attention to detail. Further to his studies of the composer’s original (urtext) score, last year he introduced several elements that are missed in the standard editions. This led to a most electrifying performance. We hope to further enhance the experience in this year’s rendition.

Prepare to be moved as our top-class choir, soloists and orchestra bring to life the poignant story of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From the opening air “Every Valley” to the triumphant "Hallelujah" chorus and to the heart-rending "He Was Despised," every note of Handel's Messiah will resonate deep within your soul.

Many of our audience will know this oratorio intimately and, for many, ‘it’s like meeting up with an old friend.’ We’re hoping that new listeners will also be attracted to hear what it’s all about too. If you want to introduce a young person to experience high quality Western Art music, this is probably the ideal place to start. Messiah has some of the most astonishingly beautiful solos in the choral canon and we have 4 fabulous young soloists performing these for you. The choruses are thrilling and the oratorio reaches its climax with ‘Worthy is the Lamb’ leading into the ‘Amen’ chorus. It’s such a magical finale!

Come and join us and get Christmas 2025 off to a cracking start!

Performers