Handel’s Messiah
“Bracing and riveting,” Trinity’s Messiah is the “gold standard” (The New York Times)
December 2–4 at 7pm | Trinity Church
This December, experience Handel’s Messiah in full: three nights, three complete performances of the monumental masterpiece, played on period instruments in the soaring, acoustically rich Trinity Church. Acclaimed guest conductor Nicholas McGegan, one of the world’s foremost Handel experts, leads Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra through every aria, chorus, and glorious note.
Watch Trinity's 2024 Messiah performance
Trinity’s history with Messiah reaches back more than 250 years. The church first presented selections from Handel’s masterwork in 1770, staged the complete oratorio in 1867, and established its Christmastime tradition in 1894. Today, Trinity’s Messiah remains a cherished New York holiday institution—“the gold standard,” according to The New York Times.
That history can be heard in every detail. Trinity Baroque Orchestra’s period strings, woodwinds, brass, and drums bring Handel’s sound world to life with thrilling immediacy. At Trinity, soloists step forward from within the choir, allowing individual voices to emerge from and return to the full ensemble. The New York Times called the result “an intimate, alternately sober and joyous communal rite.”
This year, Nicholas McGegan brings a lifetime of Handel expertise to the podium. A celebrated Baroque specialist who spent 20 years leading Germany’s International Handel Festival Göttingen and has recorded more than 50 Handel albums, McGegan is known for performances alive with intelligence, clarity, and joy.
Tickets sell quickly. Reserve your seat to experience Messiah in person, or join the livestream from wherever you are.