Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah
50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago
Jan. 11-12, 2025
Legendary Hammond B organist and celebrity music director Fred Nelson III
joins powerhouse talent filling The Auditorium stage!
Back by popular demand, Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah, a fresh reimagined twist on Handel’s classic masterpiece, the Messiah, returns to The Auditorium for two glorious performances. Joyously reinventing the original musical material from the Messiah -- using scat, backbeats, jazz and gospel vocals, and instrumental improvisation -- Too Hot to Handel creates an exhilarating and moving experience that leaves audiences shouting Hallelujah! In commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20, 2025), the production begins with a newly produced video homage to King.
Then the music begins, bringing to life, in sweeping grandeur, the biblical text and power of the gospel, backed by a soul-stirring 70-member Chicago choir, honoring historic church choral traditions. Joining them are stand-out solo vocalists Alfreda Burke (soprano), Rodrick Dixon (tenor), and Karen-Marie Richardson (alto), solo instrumentalists CSO assistant concert master David Taylor and CSO cellist Richard Hirschl, and star solo pianist Alvin Waddles, all accompanied by both a chamber orchestra and a new-to Too Hot to Handel jazz combo, the Chicago Collective Rhythm Section. New in 2025, more great Chicago talent joins the roster: music director George Stelluto and iconic Chicago Hammond B organ virtuoso Fred Nelson III. Rounding out the creative lineup are veteran Old St. Patrick’s Church choir director William Fraher, again leading the Too Hot to Handel choir, and musical theater pro and cabaret vocalist Joan Curto returns as Director.
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