Mendelssohn ‘Elijah’
Concert details
Our 80th Anniversary concert will be Mendelssohn’s Elijah – the first oratorio ever performed by the Festival Choir, back in 1946, and we have scheduled it for the equivalent weekend in 2026. Quite coincidentally (although it might have been in George Vesey’s mind when he chose Elijah for that very first concert) the work was premiered in 1846, so 2026 is its bicentenary.
The work depicts events in the life of the Prophet Elijah as told in the books 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament. Elijah is modelled on the oratorios of Handel and Bach, but in its lyricism and use of orchestral and choral colour the style clearly reflects Mendelssohn’s own skill as an early Romantic composer.
This promises to be an exciting and memorable concert, a fitting tribute to Thanet Festival Choir’s 80 years of making music. We are delighted to be performing this with a full orchestra and to welcome our outstanding Soloists Nicholas Morris, Alexandra Stevenson, Ciara Hendrick and Mark Dobell.
If you’d like to join the Choir and sing Elijah with us, rehearsals start on Wednesday 20th May. Contact us on thanetfestivalchoir@gmail.com for futher information.
Concert tickets will be available in early September.