Apollo Chorus of Chicago

In its 140th season, the 125 vocalists of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago make audiences swoon with Handel’s joyful baroque masterpiece at two of Chicago’s premier arts venues. On December 10, audiences can bask in Orchestra Hall’s National Historic Landmark confines, designed by Daniel Burnham and erected by synchronously singing construction workers. Conductor Stephen Alltop leads both world-class soloists and a complete orchestra through Messiah’s three movements. Award-winning vocalists Josefien and Charlotte Stoppelenburg belt their sisterly soprano and alto/mezzosoprano for a rare duet, "How Beautiful Are the Feet of Them" and its paired chorale, "Break Forth Into Joy." The wondrous confluence of men’s and women’s voices of all ages, races, and toe-tickle sensitivity flirt through the modern Harris Theater, which sits anchored on the northern edge of Millennium Park. Erected from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1871, the Apollo Chorus of Chicago commands a history of promoting both civic pride and not wearing sweatpants in public.