The Denison University Concert Choir will open its 190th season with a performance of George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 18) in Swasey Chapel. The 82-voice Choir will be joined by its own professional orchestra, and a distinguished quartet of visiting soloists including soprano Megan Monaghan, countertenor Steven Rickards, tenor David Adams and baritone Thomas Scurich. The concert is conducted by Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts William Osborne who serves Denison as director of choral organizations and University organist. This performance is free and open to the public.

A venerable part of the Choir's tradition, "Messiah" was first presented by the group in 1910 and for many years was presented annually during the pre-Christmas season, often twice to accommodate the overflow of audiences. Consequently, this concert marks the 100th performance by the Concert Choir of the work.

Monaghan recently joined the faculty at the University of Louisville and has had wide experience as a soloist, including roles with the Dayton Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Bel Canto Northwest and the Piccola Opera Company of Philadelphia. She holds two undergraduate degrees from Ithaca College (N.Y.) and a graduate degree at the University of Cincinnati, where she is currently working on a doctorate in vocal performance.

One of the country's most noted countertenors, Rickards has performed widely in many venues including Paul Hillier's Theatre of Voices, the Portland and Seattle Baroque Orchestras, the Miami and Dayton Bach Societies, the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston and the New York City Ballet, among others. He has also premiered new works written especially for him such as John Eaton's "The Tempest" with the Santa Fe Opera in Paris. Rickards is director of the Vocal Arts Institute at the University of Indianapolis and serves as a vocal consultant to the Indianapolis Children's Choir. He is currently on the faculty at Butler University.

Adams is head of the Performance Studies Division at the University of Cincinnati, where he has taught since 1980. He has also served on the faculty of the Aspen Music School and the Opera Theater of Lucca, Italy, and has sung in opera and concert across the country and in Italy, Austria, Germany and Luxembourg. Adams is the author of "A Handbook of Diction for Singers," published by the Oxford University Press. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of New Mexico and did additional work at the Saint Cecilia Academy in Rome as a Fulbright scholar.

Scurich holds degrees from Youngstown State and Duquesne Universities and currently teaches in the Canfield School District and serves as baritone soloist at Youngstown's St. John's Episcopal Church. He is an oratorio soloist of wide experience, having sung with the Symphony Orchestras of both Youngstown and Pittsburgh, as well as having made multiple appearances with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in southern California.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

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