On Saturday, May 18th and Sunday, May 19th, the Handel Society of Dartmouth College presents Handel’s Messiah at the Hopkins Center in Hanover, New Hampshire. Though modern audiences consider Messiah as a staple of the Christmas season, Handel composed this oratorio for Easter. The Society follows the composer’s lead by presenting Messiah as its spring selection. From the opening “Comfort ye” to the glorious “Hallelujah” and epic “Amen,” Handel’s Messiah commemorates the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ with grace, awe, and musical fireworks. This concert series is particularly significant for the Society, as it also serves as the final series under the baton of Director Robert Duff. Duff has served as Artistic Director for the Society for fifteen years—shaping the masterworks of the choral canon ranging from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion to Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. He led the Society through tours of ten countries, commissioned new works for the Society, including Andrea Clearfield’s Fire and Ice, and welcomed young singers from throughout Vermont and New Hampshire onto the Spaulding Auditorium stage. It seems fitting then, that Duff’s final performance with the Society be its signature work, Messiah. Tickets are still available, via: https://hop.dartmouth.edu/Online/handel-society-of-dartmouth-college-spring-2019 or by calling the Hopkins Center Box Office at 603.646.2422.