Handel’s ‘Messiah’ performances by TOCCATA scheduled

TOCCATA, the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, plans for the seventh straight year to perform Handel’s “Messiah.” It will be at five area locations in December, including a special debut performance in Minden.Sponsored by the Carson Valley Arts Council, the 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, performance will be in CVIC Hall on Esmeralda Avenue in Minden. It will feature TOCCATA and the Madrigal Singers of Douglas High School. Selections from the first and third parts of the “Messiah” will be performed. Favorite carols also will be sung, and the audience will be invited to join in.The next two performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 200 Island Ave. in Reno, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, in St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church, 1041 Lyons Ave. in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The fourth performance is set for St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 341 Village Blvd. in Incline Village at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19. The final performance will start at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, at Squaw Creek Resort in Olympic Valley, Calif.Joining the TOCCATA Orchestra and Chorus for this production are soloists Katharine DeBoer, Joy Strotz, and Anna Helwing, sopranos; Stephanie Dixon, mezzo soprano; and Stuart Duke and Gary Schwartz, baritones. All performances are being conducted by Maestro James Rawie.Tickets cost $25 for adults, $20 for seniors 62 and older, and $15 for students 19 to 23 years old. Preferred seating is available for $35.Dates, times and venues are subject to change. Check by calling 775-313-9697 or going online at www.Toccata Tahoe.com.