Saturday 3 December 2011, 7.30pm Southampton Guildhall Handel – Messiah (Our first Messiah since 1999) Southampton Philharmonic Choir Southampton University Philharmonic Choir New London Sinfonia Erica Eloff (soprano) Catherine King (mezzo-soprano) Joseph Cornwell (tenor) Alexander Robin Baker (baritone) David Gibson (conductor)

Messiah is a mainstay of the choral repertoire, packed with brilliant solos and choruses, including the famous Hallelujah Chorus, with its somewhat bizarre tradition that the audience should stand for the duration of the chorus! (We will not be enforcing this, but anyone who feels the urge to rise from their seat in honour of the moment should feel free to do so.) Our soloists are four talented professional singers. We are delighted to welcome back soprano Erica Eloff and mezzo-soprano Catherine King, both singing with us for the third time. Most memorably, Erica Eloff sang the title role in our 2008 performance of Handel’s Theodora, while Catherine King stole the show in our Mozart concert earlier this year. Leading baroque tenor Joseph Cornwell also sang with us in Theodora. Last, but not least, we welcome for the first time the up-and-coming young baritone, Alexander Robin Baker. In this traditional, large-scale performance of Messiah, Southampton Philharmonic Choir will be joined by the students of Southampton University Philharmonic Choir, giving a combined choir of about 160 singers. The orchestra will be the New London Sinfonia, a superb professional symphony orchestra that regularly performs with us. The concert will be conducted by our inspirational musical director, David Gibson. Tickets: (on sale from 1 August) £9, £15, £17 & £20 Concessions: Over 60s - £1 discount. “Kids for a Quid” scheme for children aged 12 and under. Students, older children, job seekers and disabled - £6, £7.50, £8.50 & £10 (Carers accompanying wheelchair users - free). Group Concession - buy 10, get 11th ticket free. Box Office: Civic Centre NorthGuild, Southampton, SO14 7LP Telephone: 023 8063 2601 Group concessions: 023 8083 3612 www.livenation.co.uk/southampton BOOKING Booking fees apply on phone orders from the Guildhall box office and orders made via the Guildhall web site. However there are ways to avoid having to pay these fees, namely:

• Buy your tickets from a choir member.
• Buy your tickets directly from the Guildhall Box Office, in person. You can pay by cash, credit or debit card but cheques are not accepted. Tickets may also be bought on the door on the night of the concert, subject to availability.
• Phone the Guildhall Box Office and ask to reserve your seats. You will be given a booking reference and then you have 5 working days to send payment (cheques only!) Send a SAE (size A6 at least) to avoid the £1.50 postal charge.

A5 leaflet Southampton Philharmonic Choir -- making music live in Southampton since 1860!