The Messiah Project
The Messiah Project is an Against the Grain Theatre and Opera InReach collaborative effort giving two schools from across Canada a professional filming and recording experience and a pre-show feature for the premiere of the internationally acclaimed Messiah/Complex!
This year’s selected choirs were the Agincourt Singers of Agincourt Collegiate Institute from Scarborough Ontario and the Mennonite Collegiate Institute Concert Choir from Gretna, Manitoba.
The choirs collaborated with Opera InReach and Against the Grain to each create a filmed version of “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. watch the video to hear a little bit more about their experience
“Thank you. You gave purpose for my child to make music!”
—Danielle Reesor, parent of student at Agincour Collegiate Institute
Meet the Choirs
Agincourt Collegiate Institute
The Agincourt Singers from Agincourt Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario is comprised of 60 grade 10, 11, & 12 students, dedicated to building a choral community in a chamber music setting.
This year, the students meet once a week to learn choral repertoire which they describe as both challenging and very rewarding to sing. The choir, which cannot perform live for an audience this year, has initiated "Feel Good Fridays" where we send out video recordings of pieces we are working on to our wider community in the spirit of healing and bringing positivity into the world.
Mennonite Collegiate Institute
Mennonite Collegiate Institute is an independent, faith-based school in Gretna, MB. We are a school (and choir) of 78 students from grades 9-12. We have students who drive to campus and students who live in our dorm, which ensures that we always have an elective mix of students from across Manitoba, North America, and the world!
At our school, we invite everyone to join the MCI Concert Choir because we believe singing is valuable to building community and connection. We feel so honoured to be selected for this project. We are thrilled to be reimagining our yearly tradition of singing the Hallelujah Chorus in this new and exciting way.
The Hallelujah Choruses
While the final “aired” version was of their combined performance, each community has their own unique video that is all them. Check out each of the performances below!
The Messiah Project Pre-Show Event
We at OIR cordially invite you all to The Messiah Project Pre-Show this Sunday, December 12th, at 7:30 PM EST. You can watch it on AtG’s Facebook or YouTube!
This free, 30-minute Pre-Show Event for Messiah/Complex is the culmination of Against the Grain Theatre and Opera InReach’s collaborative community engagement effort The Messiah Project. For those who missed it, Against the Grain Theatre and Opera InReach joined forces to bring two high-school choirs from across Canada together(ish) to create a professional music video of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
Hosted by AtG’s Artistic Director Joel Ivany, the event features the debut of the Hallelujah Chorus music video that was created with the two schools chosen for the project. It also includes a panel discussion about the project with members of OIR and AtG, as well as students and teachers from our selected schools (Agincourt Collegiate Institute and the Mennonite Collegiate Institute).
The Project
Messiah/Complex
Messiah/Complex is Against the Grain Theatre’s (AtG) bold interpretation of Handel’s Messiah, accompanied by and in partnership with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), and co-directed by Joel Ivany, the Founding Artistic Director of AtG, and Reneltta Arluk, Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
The innovative, seventy-minute filmed performance of Messiah/Complex showcases multilingual translations and features a diverse cast of soloists and choirs representing every province and territory across Canada. It is accompanied by the exceptional musicians of the TSO and conducted by Johannes Debus (Canadian Opera Company).
Filmed against iconic Canadian landscapes, Messiah/Complex features twelve soloists and four choirs representing every province and territory across the country. This “complex” interpretation of Messiah includes 6 languages, 12 soloists, 4 choirs, and is lifted by the mighty sounds of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
What are we looking for?
Two Canadian choirs, whose members are aged 14-18, to perform the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah in a video that will be featured in the pre-show event of Against the Grain’s Messiah/Complex. Selected choirs will be given access to a film and audio crew to record their performance. The final product will result in a video of both choirs’ performances combined, but each choir will receive a video of their group’s performance.
Did we mention your recording will be accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra!?*
The chosen choirs will receive:
A professional audio recording and music video shoot
A masterclass led by one of the artists/conductors of Messiah/Complex
A meet-and-greet chat with a Messiah/Complex artist
A feature in the pre-show experience of Messiah/Complex including interviews and discussion with selected students and ensemble leaders
A feature on both Opera InReach & Against the Grain Theatre's websites
*Choirs will be recorded will be mixed with Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s original recording.
Who is eligible?
Secondary School Choirs
Community Choirs (ages 14-18)
* Choirs must be based in Canada.
*Selected Choirs responsible for their preparation of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
How to Apply
To apply, you have to submit either a video or written response that allows us to get to know your choir and community. All official submissions must be submitted through our Google Form by your teacher/conductor (link below). If you create a social video, generate some buzz for your choir by sharing it and tagging @operainreach and @atgtheatre using the hashtag #themessiahproject.
For written responses, there will be a form field in the application as well as an option to upload an image or sample of your work.
Applications for 2021 are now closed.
Prompts for Your Responses
You don’t have to use all these ideas, but hopefully, they help you get started. Be bold, be creative and help us get to know your community.
Introduce us to your choir!
Tell us about your school/local community
Do you do any equity work?
Do you perform in your community?
What makes your choir/community unique?
What would this opportunity mean to your school/choir?
Why would you like to be a part of Messiah/Complex?
Do you have any clips of your singing?How to Apply
Video Format Suggestions
The video/TikTok/Reel can be presented in the way that best shows off your team.
TikTok (up to 60 seconds)
Reel (up to 60 seconds)
IGTV (max. 2 minutes)
YouTube video (max 2 minutes)
*link to the social video must be included in Google Form Application
About The Messiah
Composer: George Friedrich Handel (1685-1759)
Handel was a German composer of the baroque era. Best known for his operas, sacred works, and organ compositions.
The Hallelujah Chorus
The Hallelujah Chorus is one of the most well-known pieces from Handel’s Messiah. It has been around for hundreds of years and gets performed all across the world, every year. You may likely have heard it before. Give it a listen!
Image provided by Against the Grain Theatre
Choeur Louisbourg - Photo By Hemmings House
FAQ
Does our choir have to be SATB?
Nope! All choirs of all voicings are welcome to apply, as long as you meet our eligibility requirements.
Will be responsible for finding the film and recording crew?
Opera InReach will acquire the film and sound crews and collaborate with your teacher on a filming and recording schedule.
Does this cost us anything?
Nope again! We will cover the cost of the filming and recording. All you have to worry about is getting the music prepared and ready for the recording.
Still have questions?
Send us an email with your question and our admin team will get back to you ASAP.
If we are chosen, when will we record?
We can try to accommodate your choir’s schedule. The final deadline is mid to late November. Due to editing and post-work, if you are unable to meet the recording deadline, you are no longer
Can we record other pieces?
For this project, we will only be filming and recording your rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus.