The ancient walls of a church in Bicester will resound with the music of Handel as an animated concert is set to take place.

Twelve opera singers will dramatize the performance of Handel’s Messiah for audiences at St Edburg’s church on Friday, November 17.

The performers will move around the building, interacting with one another, bringing the old classic to life.

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Stephen Rand, from Bicester, first saw the production in Oxford some years ago and wanted to see it performed in Bicester.

Bicester Advertiser: Performance of Handel's Messiah by Merry Opera

He said: “It is powerful, thought-provoking and brilliantly done. I thought St Edburg’s Church would make a great setting for it, and enable the people of Bicester to share in the experience.”

Mr Rand has seen the show four times and decided to speak to his friends at the church to see if they would invite the production company, Merry Opera, to perform at the venue.

This is the Merry Opera’s 16th tour of this production. It has been seen by over 12,000 people.

Tickets cost £14 (students and under-18s £10), available from Coles Books, 22 Crown Walk, Bicester OX26 6HY or online at www.merryopera.co.uk. The performance starts at 7.30pm.

Merry Opera formed in 2007 with the aim of popularising opera through accessible performances.

A spokesperson said: “We wanted to show people how opera, sung in a language people can understand, with words the audience can hear clearly, does delight.”

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1