The Saddleback College Community Chorale and Concert Choir will present the Christmas portion of Handel’s beloved oratorio Messiah on Tuesday, November 26th at 7:30 p.m. in the McKinney Theatre.
The Saddleback choirs will perform this soulful celebration, under the baton of Dr. Scott Farthing and featuring special guest soloists, with pianists Catherine Tibbitts and Pennie Foster.
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, this concert will be free, but donations will be requested from the audience to go directly to Mary’s Kitchen in Orange, California (http://www.maryskitchen.org/).
In 1984, 82 year old Mary McAnena helped a homeless woman in Hart Park, Orange, California. This was the beginning of Mary’s Kitchen. Mary’s home became the scene – volunteers helped with the cooking, transported the food to Hart Park and served the men, women, and children who were homeless and in need.
In 1994, the Kitchen moved to 517 West Struck in Orange, California. In 1995, the St. Joseph Health System Foundation granted the Kitchen the funds to buy modular buildings. Mary’s Kitchen had a permanent home. Mary’s Kitchen is staffed 100% by volunteers and underwritten by private donations from individuals, churches, local corporations, grocery stores, caterers, and students from local schools including Chapman University and others.
On average, 100 people come to the Kitchen each day for breakfast, a hot meal, a bag lunch to go for dinner, hot showers, clean clothes, and attention from caring volunteers who give them hope. In December of 2003, Mary McAnena died at 100 years old. She had served the homeless in Orange County for 18 years. Her spirit of compassion and respect for human dignity continue to reign at Mary’s Kitchen.
With a long tradition of excellence in music, the Saddleback College Vocal Program continues building on that tradition with the very finest in both standard vocal repertoire and the music of the cutting edge. The three primary choirs on campus include the Community Chorale, Concert Choir, and the Women’s Camerata, which perform many concerts around the area throughout the school year.
Membership is open in all three ensembles with the successful completion of a vocal placement interview at the beginning of each semester. In addition to beginning, intermediate and advanced level vocal classes, Saddleback College offers private voice lessons to a select few vocalists who are planning on pursuing degrees in vocal performance at the university or conservatory level.
Past students in the applied music program have been accepted to prestigious music schools across the country. In addition, Saddleback College is proud to be one of a handful of community colleges in the state which offer its students the opportunity to perform in operas and opera scenes each semester.
Past performances include The Medium, Goose Girl, Suor Angelica, Mozart’s Mitradate and Donizetti’sThe Elixir of Love. For more information about singing at Saddleback College, please contact Dr. Farthing at sfarthing@saddleback.edu.
Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit. Free parking is available in Lot 12. Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the second left to Theatre Circle, turning right into Lot 12.
Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community. Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals. For more information, please visit www.saddleback.eduand for Fine Arts information, please visitwww.saddleback.edu/arts.
Nina Welch
Fine Arts Public Information Officer
Saddleback College
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
