November 10, 2025

Handel’s Messiah concert held at St. Michael’s Cathedral

REGIONAL
By Stephen Kiltonic

SPRINGFIELD – The adult and youth choirs of St. Michael’s Cathedral, joined by singers and professional musicians from across the Diocese of Springfield and beyond, delivered an uplifting performance of Handel’s Messiah, Saturday, Nov. 1. Hundreds were in attendance for the concert which was held in celebration of the Jubilee Year.

Composed in 1741, Handel’s Messiah is an oratorio that recounts the life of Jesus through Scripture and music in three parts: the prophesized birth of Jesus; his passion, death and resurrection; and the final triumph over sin and death.

It is one of the most famous and frequently performed and recorded choral works in western music since its debut as a charity event in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742.

“There must have been a lot of coffee involved. He (George Frideric Handel) did do it in 24 days. I have no idea how – 53 movements of music. It’s just such an accomplishment,” said Ashley Duplessis, the concert director.

Duplessis was asked by Father Gary Dailey, the cathedral rector, to perform the concert last year after obtaining a grant. Planning for the concert started in January with the Cathedral Scola for song selections and to cut the original length, around two-and-a-half hours, to a reasonable length for the audience and choristers while preserving the spirit and scope of the work. Practices began in May. Duplessis explained why Messiah has survived so long through the centuries.

“It is a difficult work to perform, but it’s beautiful. It speaks to so many people on so many levels, both musically and religiously. I think Handel was a genius, that’s probably it,” said Duplessis.

In addition to St. Michael’s choir members, singers were recruited from various Catholic schools in the diocese, as well as parish choirs. It was a multi-generational group with 40 singers performing, with a range in ages from 9 to 75 years old. The grant made it possible to pay many of the orchestra’s 22 professional musicians, some of whom were from the University of Connecticut. UConn performs Handel’s Messiah on an annual basis. The principal trumpeter, Thomas Gallagher, travelled from Rhode Island.

Duplessis performed Messiah many times, including four while an undergrad at UConn, but had never directed it. She found it challenging to arrange selections and tailor the ensemble’s needs in movement choices and instrumentation, as well as get everyone together at the same time.
For Duplessis, who sang solo on several songs, including “He Was Despised” and “If God Be for Us”, it was a family affair, as her 12-year-old daughter, Mira, sang in the choir and husband David played the continuo.

“People, regardless of their background will love it because there is something for everyone. There are slow things, there are fast things and there are loud and soft movements,” said Duplessis.

Jeremiah Begley, who joined the cathedral choir in March, also performed several solos, “Behold, I Tell You a Mystery” and “The Trumpet Shall Sound.” He was joined by his daughter Cordelia, 10, and son Jerome, nine, who were the youngest singers in the group. Both sing in St. Michael’s Academy’s school choir, where Duplessis is music director.   

“I’ve loved this piece since I was younger than them (children). This was a part of my life but I never got to perform it and that was an opportunity we simply could not turn down,” said Begley. “I’m really grateful to be participating in this,” added Cordelia.

Rob Paprocki, a St. Michael’s choir member for 20 years, sang several solos, including “Comfort Ye” and “Every Valley Shall Be Exalted.”

 “Just the fact that we are doing something from close to cover to cover is the real true accomplishment,” said Paprocki. “We have had the fortune of assembling a wonderful group of people that have been able to come together, blend together, share styles, share insight and share in the joy of making music.”

Jacob Broer, a St. Michael Cathedral choir member for 18 years, also performed several solos singing for “Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth” and “The People that Walked in Darkness.” He said the choir has performed parts of Messiah, particularly the famous “Hallelujah” chorus, at other services and concerts over the years, but the scope of this performance tops them all.

“Doing this at this magnitude is just a completely different animal. There’s a lot more involved but the orchestra really fills out those parts and it just makes it sound so much more beautiful,” commented Broer.

“It’s so important, with Advent coming up, for people to remember the reason that we celebrate all of this and our reason is Christ and the Messiah portrays that story in a beautiful way through music,” said Duplessis.

After hearing the final, glorious song “Worthy is the Lamb,” the audience gave a rousing, standing ovation.

“I hope that people leave here with a renewed sense of hope in their heart and just hope for the future and optimism,” added Duplessis. “So much is going on right now and if we can bring some joy to the community, that’ll be wonderful.”

For those who couldn’t attend the performance, a fully recorded version of Handel’s Messiah can be found on iobserve.org.

A video version of this story will be on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which temporarily airs Sunday mornings at 6:30 a.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS.