TeenTix Blog

Name: Haley B.Age: 16School: Holy Names AcademyFavorite Teen Tix experience (so far): Getting front row seats to Nutcracker.One Teen Tix venue that you wish more people knew about: Seattle Symphony (yes, it's Teen Tix!)Bio: I'm just an environmentalist art nerd who loves going to Seattle shows and helping out Teen Tix.Which foreign language do you most want to learn? ChineseWhat is your perfect Saturday? Get up. go to easy street records, Chinese food lunch & a good show.What is one thing you must do before you die? Get lost in New York City and not care one bit.In/OutCollege Right Away or Gap YearCoffee or TeaEnglish or BioPoetry or ProseFacebook or Not FacebookCar or BusEarly Bird or Night OwlJeggings or Pajama JeansThe Teen Tix Steering Committee is a group of young, committed arts leaders who help guide and shape the Teen Tix program. We'll be introducing you to one member of your Steering Committee every few days here on the blog. Interested in joining the Steering Committee? More info can be found here.

Hey Opera Lovers!Seattle Opera's current production of The Barber of Seville is a major hit! But sadly, several upcoming performances are already SOLD OUT, meaning NO Teen Tix will be available for the following dates:Saturday January 22Sunday January 23Saturday January 29You may still have a chance though at the other performance days on the 21st, 26th, and 28th.Best to call ahead. 206.389.7676So plan accordingly. . .

Mozart's Requiem at Seattle SymphonyThe story Mozart's final composition is shrouded in mystery. Commissioned by a Count (who eventually tried to take credit for it himself), the work was left unfinished at the time of Mozart's death. His widow, Constanze, had it completed by another composer, Süssmayr, but kept his identity a secret so that she could continue to make money off of it. Then, Pushkin's opera Mozart and Salieri asserted that Antonio Salieri completed the work, and this myth was solidified by Peter Shaffer's epic play, Amadeus, and turned into common knowledge when Amadeus was adapted for film in the '80s. Here's what we know for sure: Mozart's Requiem is one of the most haunting, moving compositions ever. Go.LISTENMozart's RequiemSeattle SymphonyJanuary 20, 21 & 22

Name: Julie H.Age: 14School: Mercer Island High SchoolFavorite Teen Tix experience (so far): Going to see a laser light show (Michael Jackson) the day I turned 13.One Teen Tix venue that you wish more people knew about: Seattle Laser Dome!About me: I was born in Michigan, moved to France, back to Michigan, then WA in the summer of 2nd & 3rd grade. I am a year young for my grade. I have a dog & 2 rabbits, but have had 13 pets in my lifetime. I love tennis, dancing, acting, animals, traveling, talking, making new friends, and a lot more!Which foreign language do you most want to learn? Italian. I speak French & Spanish and Italian is similar.Do you have any New Year's resolutions? Become closer to God, and nature!What is one thing you must do before you die? Too many to say! Move somewhere very interesting and over time be more adventurous.In/OutCollege right away or Gap yearCoffee or TeaEnglish or Biology BOTHFacebook or Not Facebook Don't have one, but want one! Otherwise, email.Car or BusEarly bird or Night owlJeggings or Pajama jeans ?

The Agile, Artful, Awfully Cute Renata FriedmanInterview by Safaa D.One of Renata's many faces in The K of D. Photo by Chris Bennion.Q. Tell us a little about yourself and where you grew upA. I was born in Montana, but moved to Port Townsend when I was 2, so did most of my growing up there. I'm currently based out of Seattle, after spending many years in New York full time and then several more years living a very bi-coastal existence.Q. Your father owns a theater in Port Townsend, did this influence you to go into acting?A. By the time he opened it, I already knew I wanted to be an actor, but growing up in a cinema certainly taught me a lot. I'd head down there after school and do my homework in the lobby, then spend the rest of the evening tearing tickets and watching movies. The 90's was such an incredible decade for independent film, and those were my formative middle and high school years. I remember being especially taken by the movies of Jim Jarmusch, Zhang Yimou, Robert Altman, Krzyzstof Kieslowski and the Coen brothers. I watched a whole lot of Rated-R art flicks when I was very much underage.Q. You travel quite a bit between New York and Seattle, what differences do you see between the two theater scenes?A. Size is one of the most fundamental differences. We have a couple dozen theatres/companies in Seattle, and New York has hundreds. Because of the abundance of theatre in NYC, it's more a part of the everyday--I know folks back east who see two or three plays a week. Seattle is actually full of actors who defected from New York at some point in their career looking for a better quality of life, and I think that's reflected in the warmth of the theatre community here.Trick Danneker as Orpheus and Renata Friedman as Eurydice in Eurydice at ACT Theatre. Photo by Chris Bennion.Q.The K of D is premiering this weekend at the Rep and you are the entire cast! Tell us about The K of D and how you came to take it on.A. The play centers around a young girl in rural Ohio who develops the Kiss of Death. I play a number of characters, including the girl's parents and a handful of teenagers who were there when she was struck with her mysterious power. I've been involved with the show since 2006 when I did a reading/workshop of it at ACT Theatre. A couple years later I decided to produce it myself in Seattle. I hired Braden Abraham as director, and he pulled together a great team of designers. After that show proved a success, we were accepted into the New York International Fringe Festival and later the Fringe Encores Series in 2009. The playwright, Laura Schellhardt, has been an unwavering supporter of our production, which has helped spur on its continuously evolving performance life.Q. You acted in some wonderful pieces in 2010, where can we expect to find you next?A. I'm actually considering a couple out of town possibilities at this point, but I can't say much more than that. The Seattle audition season is just about to start up for the Equity houses, so beginning in March I'll be going in for the next round of auditions for the 2011/12 line-up, which will determine my employment (or unemployment) in Seattle for the next year.Q. Any bit of wisdom you've picked up out of all your years of acting?A. I wish someone had warned me when I was younger that acting employment doesn't have all that much to do with talent. Booking a role comes down to timing, what you look like, who you know, your reputation, business savvy, and the director's mood on the day you read for them. It's important not to equate unemployment with lack of skill. Sometimes years of hard work and tenacity really do pay off, sometimes you get lucky quick, and sometimes it's an endless uphill battle. There's no formula. This profession is a huge gamble. Don Darryl Rivera, Steven Epp, Renata , Allen Gilmore and Daniel Breaker in A Doctor in Spite of Himself at Intiman Theatre. Photo by Chris Bennion. Q. When you are not rehearsing or performing what can you be found doing?A. Practicing the ukelele. Reading. Cooking. Going to Elliot Bay Book Co. and staring at all the pretty books. Seeing all my dear and wonderful friends. Writing letters. Bike rides with my boyfriend. Figuring out what the next acting job's going to be.Q. Are you a reader? What's your favorite book?A. When I was a teenager, my favorite books were the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransom. I still reread those every few years.Q. Leave us with some lyrics or quote that you like.A. Um. I don't think any of my favorite quotes are appropriate to publish in this interview.Thanks Renata! We think you're pretty much the greatest.See Renata play seventeen different characters (!) in The K of D, playing now through February 20th at Seattle Rep. More info at seattlerep.org

Name: Rosemary T.Age: 14School: Homeschool!Favorite Teen Tix experience (so far): going to god of carnage at the Seattle RepTeen Tix venue you wish more people knew about: Unexpected Productions (they're hilarious!)Which foreign language do you most want to learn? CHINESE!What is your perfect Saturday? Hanging out with friends baking, and then salsaing the night away!What is one thing you must do before you die? Visit India and drink a mango lassi.In/OutCollege Right Away or Gap YearCoffee or TeaEnglish or BioPoetry or Prose (neither...)Facebook or Not FacebookCar or BusEarly Bird or Night OwlJeggings or Pajama JeansThe Teen Tix Steering Committee is a group of young, committed arts leaders who help guide and shape the Teen Tix program. We'll be introducing you to one member of your Steering Committee every few days here on the blog. Interested in joining the Steering Committee? More info can be found here.

SuttonBeresCuller: Panoptos @ Henry Art Gallery

It's your final month to catch this show. Here's how it works: in one room, you control an atari-style joystick that in turn controls a high-def camera that, in another room, peruses an entire gallery full of art. The effect is disorienting and delicious, and makes you look at art in a whole new way. Go.PanoptosHenry Art Gallery11-4: Wed11-9: Thu, Fri11-4: Sat, SunClosed: Mon, TueThrough February 23rd, 2011Henry Art Gallery is ALWAYS FREE for Teen Tix members, and you can always bring a guest for $5!PANOPTOS micro-site: henryartexhibits.org/panoptosSuttonBeresCuller website: suttonberesculler.comSuttonBeresCullter facebook: facebook.com/suttonberescullerHere's Mykaila's Crush of the Month profile of the three artists behind this opus, from back in October:Blush-inducing art trio SuttonBeresCullerby Mykaila O.On my way to interview John Sutton and Ben Beres of SuttonBeresCuller, there was one question I was absolutely dying to ask: How do you cut a van in half?SuttonBeresCuller (John Sutton, Ben Beres, and Zac Culler) make unexpected—unexpectable—art. From living on a floating island on Lake Washington (The Island) to putting a little park on a van trailer (Trailer Park) to making a portable living room with only three walls (There Goes the Neighborhood) to a sculpture creation made out of fans (The Answer, My Friend...) SuttonBeresCuller have mastered the creation of mildly mind-bending, often grin-provoking, intensely imaginative art. Their current installation, Panoptos, at Henry Art Gallery, is no exception—it’s 100% crushworthy, just like its creators.Panoptos @ Henry Art GalleryPhoto by Matt WesterveltJohn and Ben (and I’m sure Zac too) are crushworthy because their art is genius. That’s the reason. Straight up. It takes a genius (or three geniuses) to create what they do and create the way they do. Their immense creativity is enough to induce blushing in even the most stoic of art-digging teenagers. SuttonBeresCuller’s intensity, dedication, and focus about their art amazes — they’ve been working on one particularly challenging piece, Mini Mart City Park, for about six years. They are ready for just about any worst-case scenarios, learning as they go about what they need to do to realize their ideas like figuring out and creating the ideal light system for the camera to minimize glare on the pictures hung in Panoptos.Watch Mykaila's interview with John and Ben:Though a crazy genius artistic trio might seem a little intimidating, John and Ben were warm and inviting, and the trio seem to be nothing less than gregarious. Not surprising since they’ve worked with environmentalists, computer programmers, electrical engineers, and van cutters-in-half during the production of their art. Creative, intelligent, determined, friendly, genius? Sounds pretty crushworthy to me.And as for that van? They told me it had to be done with extreme care.Hey! It's a SuttonBeresCuller slideshow!

Review of Chamber Cymbeline at Seattle Shakespeare Company by Alyssa T. If reading Shakespeare for your English class wasn’t the best experience ever, seeing Chamber Cymbeline can restore your faith in Will’s ability to entertain (and not torture). Unlike many English teachers, Seattle Shakespeare Company tries and succeeds at making this Shakespearean play a pleasure to watch.

Celebrate Asia! at Seattle SymphonySumi Jo is awesomeCelebrate the musical traditions of China, Japan, Korea and India together with those of the West in this spectacular, one-night only event. Now in its third year, Celebrate Asia! will feature world-renowned, Grammy Award–winning Korean soprano Sumi Jo, a Japanese koto performance and more. PLUS, four local ensembles representing different ethnicities within Seattle’s Asian community will perform in the lobby before the show: Thai traditional folk music and dance group Chaopraya Ensemble; Filipino folkloric music ensemble Rondalya sa Seattle; and a trio of students from the Zhenlun Cello Studio, as well as Chinese Lion Dance from Belltown Martial Arts, both representing the Chinese community.Celebrate Asia!Friday, January 14 @ 7:30Seattle Symphony

Radoslaw Rychcik | In the Solitude of Cotton Fields @ On the Boards

The National Theatre Live: HamletTONIGHT at SIFF CinemaSIFF is kicking off a year-long series of screenings high-def "digital cinema exhibitions" from Britain's National Theatre with a modern-dress Hamlet that folks say is "suberb." The thespians at the National Theatre, as you might expect, have got some game, and, anyway, Shakespeare always sounds better coming off of English lips. Well, it does. The National Theatre Live: HamletMonday, January 10 @ 7:30SIFF Cinema

Nervous about using your Teen Tix pass for the first time? Never fear! Veteran Teen Tix users are here to tell you that they feel your pain, but it's really just not that scary. Watch!

Name: HallieB.Age: 16School: Seattle Waldorf High SchoolFavorite Teen Tix experience (so far): Speech & Debate at Seattle RepTeen Tix venue you wish more people knew about: YATCWhich foreign language do you most want to learn? I want to get better at Spanish, but I also want to learn Arabic.What is your perfect Saturday? Going to dance, meeting friends, and then going to see a show!Do you have any New Year's resolutions? No, I don't usually make them.What is one thing you must do before you die? Live in a foreign country.In/OutCollege Right Away or Gap YearCoffee or TeaEnglish or BioPoetry or ProseFacebook or Not FacebookCar or BusEarly Bird or Night OwlJeggings or Pajama JeansThe Teen Tix Steering Committee is a group of young, committed arts leaders who help guide and shape the Teen Tix program. We'll be introducing you to one member of your Steering Committee every few days here on the blog. Interested in joining the Steering Committee? More info can be found here.

Connor Toms really is becoming a SST's favorite.

Hi there,No, Teen Tix eligibility is NOT restricted to certain performances. Seattle Shakespeare Company participates in Teen Tix, therefore, any performance in their regular season is Teen Tix-eligible. However, Teen Tix tickets are available day-of-show only, so, if a show sells out before the day-of, there will be no Teen Tix available. If you're concerned about that possibility, we encourage you to call ahead and double check on Teen Tix availability. The number for SSC's box office is 206-733-8222.Hope that helps. Feel free to email us at [email protected] or call 206-233-3959 if you have any more questions.HollyTeen Tix Program Manager

Are there certain days that we can use our Teen Tix for the showing?

Chamber Cymbeline @ Seattle Shakespeare CompanyLike any good fairytale, Cymbeline is full of darkness and deceit. Mothers try to poison daughters, fiances try to entrap fiancees into cheating on them, people cut off other people's heads and float them down rivers, long-lost whathaveyous are revealed.Cymbeline is a show that doesn't get done too often, perhaps because the original is a big ol' mess (some scholars think it was never actually finished), but early reports are that adapter/director Henry Woronicz has been brave enough to slap the text around, shave off the nonsense, and deliver and tight, actor-driven story.If nothing else, it's got great people in it, including Jennifer Lee Taylor as the princess, Imogen, and perpetual heartthrob Connor Toms as both of her suitors. Chamber CymbelineSeattle Shakespeare CompanyJanuary 5 - 30

SARA MOUNTJOY-PEPKA (November): When we last heard from Sara Mountjoy-Pepka she was getting ready to open Womb Escape IV at Unexpected Productions and enjoying the power associated with her macho motorcycle helmet. Now that Womb Escape is over, she shares some of her experiences. When asked about hidden talents, she brings up another teammate, Ahsan, who she discovered could do spot-on impressions of Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy. Her most memorable experience at Unexpected Productions was being freaked out by a group of ghost hunters who came by the theater to investigate. She is currently working on “a sci-fi with a tiny bit of singing and dancing thrown in” called The Duel of the Linguist Mages at Annex Theatre, and plans to teach a winter K-2 camp at the Seattle Public Theatre. Sara says that someone who is interested in music, sports, AND acting (like her) should focus on music and sports during the school year and act in community theaters and camps during the summer. “Sports and music are a great compliment to theater - and they actually all relate [more] than you'd think. I can't tell you how much I've been called on to play bassoon, accordion, piano, recorder, and singing for theater productions.” When asked about her job title, Sara gives “actor”. - Allison C.MOSES YIM (August): Q: What's been keeping you busy since your interview with Teen Tix in August?A: I have been keeping relatively busy since the interview. For one the show ran pretty successfully and then I had a couple of stage readings which were fantastic! It was the first time I had ever done anything like that and it was fun and different. Its like adult story time and I was asked to do two different readings which I was stoked and very fortunate to do.Q: What was it like to be Crush of the Month?A: Wow... when Holly sent me the email I was very flattered. I've never really considered myself crush worthy and am trying really hard to not let it get to my head! haha just kidding. Its pretty cool because for a long time I've always thought asians haven't really been viewed as attractive or crush worthy, but to receive the crush of the month in any form was really reassuring. If I were to be crush of the year, it would be for my asian peeps!!Q: A: My perfect saturday would run something like this. Basketball game in the morning, lunch with a close friend, playing a bit of music with my "band" brothers and sisters, dinner with my family, then snuggling up with my hypothetical girlfriend for some dvd time!! I'm a simple man Safaa...ZOEY BELYEA & TALLIS MOORE (July): Zoey:Q: What shows have you done since we last caught up with you during Past Curfew? A: Hair at SCT summer season. I played Janie, the pregnant one. Had so so much fun rocking out to hippie songs in the sunny end of the summer. And Reckless at my school, Seattle University, where I'm currently a junior. This show was really exciting for me, I got to work with Braden Abraham who also works at the Rep. He was such a great director, it was a huge learning experience for me. Also my character was in a wheel chair and deaf so that was a challenge.Q: What’s your next project that we can point your fans towards?A: I'm performing in Theater Schmeater's production of Crooked January 14-February 15. It's this really hilarious and beautiful story about a 14 year old girl, a little bit of an outcast, who finds an ultra religious friend (that's me!) when her mother moves her back to Mississippi. I think it's something all Teen Tix members will really enjoy, it's a super honest portrayal of the issues and stresses that teens deal with everyday. And my mom's in it too!!Q: What are your 2011 New Year’s resolutions, theatre-related or not?A: I almost always have to resolve to get more exercise. That's an important part of being an actor and just being a healthy person. I also want to start writing more poetry, I'm taking a class on it next quarter so hopefully that one will stick.Q: And finally, what was it like to be Crush of the Month?A: I feel honored to even be named Crush of the Month. Teen Tix is such an AMAZING organization. I have personally benefited from my Teen Tix pass more times than I can count, and often been one of the youngest people in the audience. Just know that I love Teen Tix, I was a teen tix member almost from the beginning, and as long as teenagers keep seeing theater and keep encouraging their friends so see more theater I'll be happy. We are the future, dudes. Let's own it!!LAURA GILBREATH (March): Q: Since "Three By Dove" you've been in quite a few more performances, do you have a favorite for 2010?A: 2010 has been a great season of dancing. The ALL BALANCHINE program stands out in my mind as one of my favorite programs yet. Getting to perform the Waltz Girl in Serenade was amazing, Choleric in The Four Temperaments was also a highlight; it was just a fantastic program. In addition, the second movement pas de deux in Jerome Robbins' Glass Pieces [during the DIRECTOR’S CHOICE program] was fantastic. Q: What blunder stands out in your mind?A: I think I was an apprentice at the time and we were performing Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet. I was in the fourth movement corps section. I remember this night very clearly; it was Friday the 13th (the only reason I remember this is because Kent Stowell [PNB’s founding artistic director] was offstage in the wings joking and telling me to be careful out there because of the date!) I made my entrance and things were going pretty smoothly. Then we got to this rather chaotic crossing section and I must have tangled feet with another dancer. I went down hard right in the middle of the stage! I think it took me a minute to get up, but of course when I did, I was laughing hysterically (my typical reaction to falling and everything else!) It didn't help that another girl in the company was laughing just as hard, so every time I would look at her I would bust up again. Not to mention the fact that my knee was bleeding! I guess I should have been embarrassed, but I thought it was too funny. So I guess that blunder always stands out to me.Q: What are you studying at Seattle U?A: I'm just trying to get my core credits finished as of now. I just finished Spanish 115, so I'll take 125, then 135, and then I'll at least have gotten my foreign language credits taken care of. I believe I'll be a sophomore after this next Spanish class.Q: In 2015 where will you be?A: I hope to be a Principal dancer with PNB, dancing great ballets, and hopefully I'll be married by that point. I would love to have a baby while I'm still dancing, so maybe I would be contemplating a family.Q. Still listening to country music? Who are the top artists/songs on your play list?A: I will ALWAYS listen to my country music! It is my roots, after all:) I love Taylor Swift's new album, and I think Keith Urban has some great new songs as well. Rascall Flatts never disappoints! - Safaa D.JUSTIN HUERTES (January): Q: What have you been doing since Speech & Debate closed?A: I've been missing Speech & Debate! Haha! Luckily, I've been keeping busy. I got to be a part of a fantastic workshop at the Rep for a new play written and directed by Adam Rapp called Welcome Home, Dean Charbonneau. And that was a crazy-amazing experience! Adam Rapp's an incredibly talented playwright and director, so I learned a lot from him and from the actors.I also worked with my friends at Contemporary Classics again on Zanna, Don't! and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (on which Contemporary Classics worked with RK Productions). Spelling Bee was great! I've never been a part of a cast that was so tight-knit. We're all still best friends and plan get-togethers as much as we can!My current job, I'll save for a couple of questions down....Q: What was it like to be Crush of the Month?A: Honestly, that was a little surreal! Especially being the FIRST Crush of the Month! I was definitely flattered. My friends loved it. During Speech & Debate, Erin Stewart would introduce me to her friends as "Crush of the Month Justin Huertas"! She still greets me like that sometimes: "Is that Crush of the Month Justin Huertas?" Actually, when my friends heard about this follow-up interview, they all got so excited!Q: How do you keep in touch with your cello roots now that you have moved on to acting?A: I'm currently the cellist for the national tour of Spring Awakening, which is a Tony Award-winning Best Musical -- one of my favorites actually. So, lucky for me, I get to play rock music every night on my cello!- Julie H.

Review of Nine Nation Animation at Northwest Film Forum by Alyssa T. Nine Nation Animation is an intellectual LOL. It’s ten times freakier than any wonderland Alice could ever imagine, and funnier, too. If you’re into visual art, storytelling, social criticism, or light laughs, this is for you. If you dig Norwegian construction workers, failing cat and mouse marriages, operatic birds, or candy-farting clowns, this is also for you. And if your primary animation feed comes in the form of mainstream television cartoons, Nine Nation Animation will make you feel malnourished. The film, a little over an hour long, is a collection of nine animation shorts produced by various artists around the globe. Each short carries its own unique style, culture, message, characters, and sometimes even language. Though the dialogue is rarely in English, there was never a time I felt it needed to be. The subtitles don’t detract from the animation at all. If anything, I have a feeling viewers will be more concerned with the overload of visual awesomeness. Do you remember those boxy N64 graphics? In the short “Please Say Something,” David O’Reilly manipulates simplistic 3D shapes to give birth to an interesting romance between a cat and a mouse. It’s bizarre, unnatural, relatable, inappropriate, and charming at the same time, and it leaves you wanting more dysfunctional animal relationships. This animation ended up as my favorite, and if it doesn’t end up as yours, there are eight more animations to choose from, each with its own voice. Every move, every sound, and frame is created for a purpose other than fulfilling your expectations. Nine Nation Animation is as fun to watch as those Saturday morning cartoons, and as meaningful as good literature. The film can open your eyes to animation as a boundless art form, versus animation as an ordinary entertainment tool. It’ll be worth your time to see, because there’s a whole new world of animation out there, trying its best to make itself known in a planet conditioned to line-and-color cartoons. Nine Nation Animation Northwest Film Forum January 1 - 6 Watch the trailer:

Review of Handel's Messiah at Seattle Symphony by Emma M.Most people know Handel’s Messiah for its spectacular Hallelujah chorus, associating it with Christmastime. But Messiah is so much more. The wonderful baroque style and the soaring vocals make this piece a much deserved classic and Seattle Symphony’s rendition of this stirring classic is beautiful.Seattle Symphony and ChoraleOver the course of a few weeks in the summer of 1741, George Frideric Handel composed one of the most brilliant choral pieces of all time. His oratorio, Messiah, has been a favorite piece for nearly 270 years since. The Messiah tells the life story of Jesus Christ. Messiah is an oratorio, which is basically a narrative opera, designed to be played in a concert setting. The oratorio is broken down into three parts. Part the First, is the prophesying and birth of the Messiah. This part is the baroque style at its best. Stunning flourishes, and notes held for impossible lengths of time are characteristic of this part. As stunning as this part may be, it's almost an appetizer to the real meat of the piece, in Part the Second and Part the Third. Part the Second describes the hardships of Christ and includes some stunning music. “Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow” is beautifully poignant piece. At the same time, all of this pain and sadness is juxtaposed by the famous Hallelujah chorus, with it’s soaring jubilation. It is remarkable that after such an incredible piece of music as the Hallelujah chorus, Handel could continue onto a third part and not lose any of the splendor that he just created. Indeed, Part the Third holds the most beautiful piece, “The trumpet shall sound,” a rich harmony between bass voice and solo trumpet. And at the very end is the Amen chorus which is just as spectacular, if not more so, than the famed Hallelujah chorus.HandelThe interplay between the strings-heavy symphony and the melodious voices of the Seattle Symphony Chorale is soft and smooth. I particularly enjoyed bass-baritone Charles Robert Austin’s performance. Austin’s ebony tones lend a richness and weight to the first part, and continue to astound in the third part with “The trumpet shall sound.” A real vocal highlight is Soprano Dominique Labelle. Labelle, while effortlessly trilling the baroque pieces, has a weight behind it. She has a vocal clarity which punctuates all of the humming strings. Then of course there is the man himself. Gerard Schwarz is fascinating to watch conduct. He has a thousand and one gestures and expressions to convey his meaning to the symphony, the solo artists, and the chorus.one of the many gestures of Maestro SchwarzAlthough Messiah is a religious piece, if we can look beyond that, the oratorio is incredibly stirring and uplifting. Handel’s absolutely incredible music, and Seattle Symphony’s lovely rendition is sure to touch all people.Handel's MessiahSeattle SymphonyThrough December 19th