Mendelssohn's Elijah
Stephen Alltop, music director and conductor
University of Illinois Oratorio Society, Andrew Megill, Director
Stephen Morscheck, Elijah
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
Leah Dexter, mezzo-soprano
Steven Soph, tenor
Mendelssohn’s portrayal of the prophet Elijah is one of the most dramatic works in the oratorio repertoire. In a flow of stirring choruses, heart-felt arias and theatrical interplay, Mendelssohn’s considerable gifts as a composer of vocal music are on full display. CUSO is joined by a stellar cast of soloists and the University of Illinois Oratorio Society to perform Elijah in all its force and majesty at what is sure to be one of the season’s greatest musical events.
Panel Discussion on Mendelssohn’s Elijah
Saturday, March 4, 2023, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Orchestra Rehearsal Room, Krannert Center
Dr. Jeffrey Sposato, Musicologist
Dr. Stephen Alltop, Music Director and Conductor, CUSO
Dr. Andrew Megill, Director of Choral Activities, Univ. of Illinois
Learn more about Mendelssohn and his music!
Dr. Jeffrey Sposato, Professor of Musicology and Director of the School of Music, will lead an in-depth discussion about the historical background of Mendelssohn’s Elijah and its meaning in today’s musical world.
Dr. Sposato is a Mendelssohn scholar and the author of “The Price of Assimilation: Felix Mendelssohn and the Nineteenth-Century Anti- Semitic Tradition” (Oxford, 2006), which was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2006 and a Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award finalist.