Elijah Is Coming! 

Everything you would want to know about Elijah

Start planning now for a very unique April in the life of St. Andrew’s.  The prophet Elijah’s story will be told in a wide variety of ways throughout that special month. 

First, on the Sunday after Easter, March 30, our friend Paul Oakley will return to lead us in worship at 8:30 and 10:45.  You might remember Paul when he was here a couple years ago, leading us in a Friday night hymn festival, which those in attendance will never forget.  Then on that following Sunday he participated in worship, playing piano and organ, and leading the choir.  Then that same afternoon Paul dedicated our organ with a spectacular recital.   

This year Paul will again be working with our choir and our orchestra on Friday and Saturday, and then leading the worship service Sunday morning, combining the story of Elijah’s life with the music of Mendelssohn’s Oratorio by the same name.  Paul will be playing piano and organ during the service, as well as leading the choir and orchestra. It should be a great introduction to what is coming throughout the month. 

Second, Pastor Gus will follow up on the next three Sundays, April 6, 13, and 20, with a sermon series on how Elijah impacted his own time and what we can learn from his courageous and exemplary life for today. 

Third, Some people truly enjoy watching productions of this kind come together.  In other words, they enjoy the process almost as much as the final product.  So for them, we are inviting the “public” to come to the final dress rehearsal on Wednesday evening, April 23^rd, beginning at 7:00.  Click here to learn more.

Fourth The following weekend one of the greatest musical events is our church’s history will conclude our time with Elijah, as choir and orchestra perform Mendelssohn’s great oratorio, ELIJAH, on Friday night, April 25 (7:00 pm) and again on Saturday afternoon, April 26 (2:30 pm).  Our 70-voice Chancel Choir is combining with the 70 voices of the Catalinas Community Chorus to perform this magnificent work, along with the 60 members of the St. Andrew’s Orchestra.  What an outstanding experience this will be, with over 200 musicians coming together to present one of the greatest choral and orchestral masterworks ever written.  

Both choirs have been working for several weeks already, embarking on a huge musical challenge since Mendelssohn held nothing back in writing this incredibly dramatic story.  Told in typical oratorio fashion, the libretto (the lyrics) begins with the drought and famine falling on Israel because of King Ahab’s evil reign and worship of the false god, Baal.  What follows, you may know from I Kings 18 and 19, as Elijah’s awesome faith in His God brings down the worship of Baal, fire descending from heaven to lap up His offering to The God, and the eventual destroying of the false prophets.  Mendelssohn’s magnificent music portrays the story with exuberant orchestrations and incredible choral writing.  And that’s just the beginning of Elijah’s story as God once again takes center stage in that day. 

In this oratorio, there are four main soloists, the most prominent being of course Elijah himself.  In our production, world-renowned baritone George Gibson will be our guest.  (Click here for a bio on George Gibson ) He has performed Elijah several times as part of his illustrious career in opera, recital, musical theatre, and oratorio.  He has performed with all the great orchestras and opera houses coast to coast.  For almost 30 years he was the Professor of Voice and Director of Opera Theatre at Wichita State University.  Since retiring from that position he has established a large teaching studio in Washington DC where he travels nine days each month.  His students from his years in private teaching are both numerous and well-respected the world over.  Even though George’s first love is teaching, he derives great joy from singing the great works of composers like Mendelssohn.  George and his wife, Mary Jane, moved to Tucson in 1998 and Tucson is blessed to have him here – and we too will be blessed to have him in the lead role of Elijah in April. 

The director of the Catalinas Community Chorus is Cyndee Chaffee, longtime colleague and great friend of Marshall's.  She will be singing the alto solos, while our own Anita Bickford is the soprano soloist.  Rounding out the four will be an outstanding tenor and graduate student at the U of A, Christopher Hutchinson. 

Over the next several weeks, Marshall Sanders will be contributing more and more information about this productionon this website, There is a handy link button to take you to all kinds of scoop on the production, background, some great history on Mendelssohn himself, and even some rehearsal photos or video perhaps.  Check back often and I will always have the newest additions at the top when you click on the ELIAJH button. 

Read 1 Kings 18 and 19 and you too will be inspired, as was Mendelssohn, by the life and testimony of one of God’s greats! – a man who balked at nothing and had a connection with the Almighty unlike any other prophet.  Together, we’ll learn and experience something none of us will ever forget!

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