If you’ve ever wanted to sing for a packed house at UCLA,
you finally have your chance.
The “U-Sing-It Messiah” will roll into Los Angeles
with its tidings of holiday joy and cheer on Saturday. Hosted in
Schoenberg Hall by the UCLA Department of Music as a benefit for
the opera and voice programs, the performance promises to do just
what its title touts ““ have you, as part of the audience,
sing the main parts of Handel’s Messiah. An open call for all
singers has been posted and one needs no prior vocal training.
“It’s such a long-lasting piece; it’s fun to
sing,” said Louis Magor, who will conduct the UCLA
performance.
Although the brainchild of Margaret Hillis, a teacher at
Northwestern University, Magor had experience in the first
U-Sing-It Messiah performances in Chicago. Along with conducting
the accompanying orchestra, Magor had the even more difficult job
of conducting an untrained audience to sing in harmony during the
show.
“There have been little glitches ““ the whole
audience ran away with one of the pieces, all 500 of them,”
Magor said.
But throughout Magor’s 27 years of involvement with the
U-Sing-It Messiah, there has never been an unmemorable performance.
Crowds as large as 800 people have come to the communal event to
make the evening a success.
“It’s fun to be there,” Magor said.
“It’s a joyful experience.”
Due to its increasing popularity, Magor was requested to conduct
his own annual U-Sing-It Messiah sing-along performances for the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1979. Magor says music is
such an instrumental part of his busy life that taking on this
extra task was not only an honor, but was also a treat for him.
Currently, Magor is a teacher for both an elementary school and
Kindermusik, a music program for parents and young children, as
well as the conductor of the United Methodist Church choir in West
Seattle. In addition, Magor works at Seattle’s Kenyon Hall,
which hosts one of America’s few remaining weekend vaudeville
shows.
“Most of the time I spend teaching is very
fulfilling,” Magor said. “You can see all the
results.”
Now, after 26 years, the time-honored tradition of the U-Sing-It
Messiah is leaving San Francisco to come to the Los Angeles area.
While no experience is necessary, one needs to purchase a $35
ticket and a copy of the score of the Messiah, although it is
possible to rent copies of the piece to sing along with.
“No preparation is required, which is a good thing this
time of year,” Magor said.
Magor will lead the audience, accompanied by music provided by
the UCLA Philharmonia, as well as soloists from the benefiting UCLA
voice and opera programs.
While the night of the concert is also the date of another
communal activity ““ the rivalry game against USC ““ a
hoarse voice from yelling at the TV won’t exclude you from
the program. After all, it’s your show.