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12/14/2016 07:30 AMLed by conductor Roy Wiseman, the Branford Messiah will fill Branford First Congregational Church with Handel’s classic Christmas Oratorio on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. Roy says this magical performance, now in its 29th year, will always be a tribute to its talented and beloved founder, the late Ettie Minor Luckey.
“My friendship with Ettie goes back to the late 1980s,” says Roy, a West Hartford resident. “She had long had an interest in early 20th century American music, and I was just starting a group to specialize in ragtime and early jazz. She was very taken with the idea, and she worked very hard at making this group a success.”
Roy’s quintet, Elite Syncopation, toured the country and still performs to this day. A double bassist, Roy is also an active classical conductor and founder of New World Consort, a chamber ensemble specializing in early 20th-century American Music. He has also been an instructor of doublebass at Wesleyan University since 1979 and instructor of bass at Central State Connecticut University since 2004.
Roy says Ettie’s own ability as a talented cellist was just one more facet of this amazing woman.
“She was a wonderful musician and she had this vibrant, electric personality,” says Roy. “She always wanted to make things happen; she loved being a catalyst to bring people in. She recognized how great a force one person can be in opening people to music and making new connections. More so than most musicians, she worked hard at making performances happen, and new venues happen.”
Ettie and her husband, Tom, a noted architect and sculptor, adopted Branford as the town of their hearts shortly after moving here. She was instrumental in establishing chamber performances at Branford’s Blackstone Library. But to many, Ettie’s greatest gift to the town was founding the Branford Messiah. In 2005, after Tom became a quadriplegic due to an accidental fall, Ettie came to rely on assistance in mounting the Branford Messiah from her friend and neighbor, violist Ann Drinan. Sadly, Tom passed away in 2012. Then, after battling cancer, Ettie passed away in May 2015.
Ann, a past Sound Person of the Week, continues to organize the Branford Messiah but says no one could ever fill Ettie’s shoes.
“Last year’s performance was so heartwarming. We had many memorials for Ettie,” says Ann. “The Branford Messiah exists because Ettie wanted to start a chamber program. She knew everybody loves Messiah and she went ahead and organized it. She brought together the three churches on the green and gathered the choruses. And all these years later, we’re still going strong. But with the death of our founder, it’s been a time of rebuilding.”
One of the most remarkable elements of the Branford Messiah is that the chorus, comprised of talented amateur local singers from all walks of life, sings with professional soloists of the highest caliber. Bringing in soloists with resumes that include credits like performing at the Metropolitan Opera House, as well as professional instrumentalists, requires support from organizations, groups and individuals. Helping is as easy as writing a check for any amount, and sending it to Branford Messiah, c/o 296 Clark Avenue, Branford 06405. Donations are also gratefully accepted online on the “Support Us” page at www.branfordmessiah.org.
All of the effort and energy that goes into creating the Branford Messiah each year adds up to a standing room-only performance that packs First Church with a very appreciative audience. People line up early to get inside; free will donations are accepted at the door.
For Roy, conducting the masterpiece is a joy and, as always, quite a thrill. Handel is his favorite composer, hands down.
“The star of the show is really Handel,” says Roy. “As Beethoven said, he was the greatest composer that ever lived. Handel created incredibly vibrant, theatrical music that speaks to us as much today as it did back in the 1700s.”
Picking a favorite part of the Christmas Oratorio isn’t easy, he adds.
“I’ve lived with this piece for a long time,” says Roy, who wrote his doctoral disseration on Handel’s Messiah. “For me, personally, I think there are some really dramatic moments; because Handel is such a dramatic composer. He’s so good at tone changes and creating a kind of suspense.”
While the “Hallelujah Chorus” ranks among one of the best-known and most anticipated moments for audiences each year, for Roy, there’s another very special moment.
“Glory to God in the Highest — that is an electric moment,” says Roy. “The trumpets have been sitting there, and you’re wondering to yourself, ‘When are those guys going to play?’ And then they do; and you hear this incredible, celestial sound.”
Roy says he loves conducting both the orchestra and chorus each year for the Branford Messiah and is grateful that the double responsibility gives him a rare chance to work with a chorus.
“It’s kind of fun for me,” he says. “I’m mostly involved with instrumentalists now, but I used to be a choral singer and I love working with choruses. Any kind of music making is a great way for people to hang out together, and in this case, I think it’s worked out very well. We’re able to give a very integrated performance where all the gears are meshing.”
The professional orchestra members love the Branford Messiah so much; they contact Ann in September to lock in their participation. Roy and the orchestra rehearse a few hours ahead of the show, joined by the chorus, which will have worked with Roy over the course of four rehearsals. The mix of singers may change slightly from year to year, but most are veterans of this special night. Adding professional soloists brings a special element not present in most community presentations of Handel’s Messiah, Ann notes.
As the performance date nears, Roy is remembering the Luckeys, who did so much to make this high-caliber production a part of the fabric of Branford.
“Ettie and Tom were wonderful members of the Branford community who gave a lot of creative energy to the town,” says Roy. “It’s really nice to kind of keep this vision going, and it’s a privilege for me to be able to help keep it going, as a personal friend.”
The 29th Annual performance of the Branford Messiah is Sun. Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church on the Branford green. Free will donations accepted; for more information or to make a donation online visit www.branfordmessiah.org