19th Annual Messiah Sing-Along

Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 4 PM


Join Fairlington United Methodist Church for the 19th Annual Messiah Sing-Along in Alexandria presenting Part One and the Hallelujah Chorus on Sunday, December 4th at 4 PM. This premier musical event is a highlight of the Christmas season in Northern Virginia that you don't want to miss with guest soloists Tess Ottinger, soprano; Elizabeth Sarian, mezzo; Luke Schmidt, tenor; John Arlievsky, baritone; and Sing-Along Chorus led by Fairlington’s Choir, accompanied by the Amadeus Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Louise Wilson.


Admission to the Messiah sing-along and parking are FREE to all. 

You are invited to bring your own Messiah score or you may purchase a G. Schirmer edition for $9.00 at the door.  


Handel's triumphant and moving 'Messiah' is undoubtedly one of the western world's most popular oratorios and the definitive live Christmas concert experience. As with past years, Fairlington's Messiah Sing-Along will delight and inspire as the nearly 300 year old musical work is presented with orchestra and guest soloists to create an unforgettable celebration! This presentation of sacred Christmas music, with the beloved Hallelujah chorus, is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. 


- FEATURING -



Guest Soloists

Tess Ottinger, soprano

Elizabeth Sarian, mezzo-soprano

Luke Schmidt, tenor

John Arlievsky, baritone

   YOU ARE THE CHORUS

AND

Handel’s Organ Concerto in F Major, Op. 4, No. 4

Julie Vidrick Evans, organ

The Amadeus Orchestra

Dr. Louise Wilson, conductor


  • Tess Ottinger: Soprano

    Northern Virginia based soprano, Tess Ottinger, is over the moon to perform in the 19th Annual Messiah Sing-Along with the Fairlington UMC Ensemble. She discovered her love for the classical vocal arts when she started her training in 2009 with Metropolitan Opera soprano, Danielle Talamantes. Since then, she has immersed herself in all forms of classical vocal literature, from opera to art song, oratorio and choral repertoire. 


    Tess is an alumna of Virginia Commonwealth University (BM Music Education and Vocal Performance) and the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute (MM Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy), where she studied with Dr. Stanley Cornett and coached with his wife, Eileen Cornett. Tess currently studies with Elizabeth Daniels and is on the voice faculty of the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC.


    This season, Tess will compete for the first time in the Metropolitan Opera 2023 Laffont Competition, in addition to performing throughout the DMV from Richmond to Baltimore in the areas of operatic and oratorio repertoire. She recently was nominated a winner of the Classical Singer Magazine Summer Feedback Competition and placed 3rd in the NATS National Competition. Her previous roles include Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Lisette in La Rondine, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. 


    Tess enjoys cooking, baking, and traveling with her family and friends. She also raises her pup Nico (named after the great operatic tenor, Nicolai Gedda) with her partner Lukas Schmidt, tenor, who is also on this evening’s program. Tess is thrilled to be performing this monumental work with such a special ensemble! 

  • Elizabeth Sarian: mezzo soprano

    Elizabeth Sarian, praised for her "pointed, wonderfully appealing lyric [mezzo] soprano" (Opera Today), recently won The Sandra Warfield Prize in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, which brought her to the National Semifinals at the Metropolitan Opera. Elizabeth recently joined the Opera Theater of Saint Louis’ Gerdine Young Artist Program to cover the titular role in Carmen and make her debut as Mama in Stewart Wallace’s Harvey Milk Reimagined.

     

    A recent alumna of The Atlanta Opera Studio, Elizabeth recently returned to Atlanta as Nireno in Giulio Cesare. As a member of The Atlanta Opera Studio (2018-2020), Ms. Sarian’s performances included her noted portrayal of The Page in Salome, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Sister Lillianne in Dead Man Walking, Olga (cover) in Eugene Onegin, and Flora in La Traviata. With Capitol City Opera, she made her role debut as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette. Sarian was scheduled to perform Kate Pinkerton (and cover Suzuki) in Madama Butterfly with the Atlanta Opera along with a company debut with the Atlanta Ballet in "Art Songs pas de deux," but both appearances were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the summer of 2021, she appeared as Purcell’s Dido in Opera North’s curated program, “Extraordinary Women.”

     

    During the summers of 2018 and 2019, Ms. Sarian was part of the prestigious Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, where she covered Pastuchnya in Jenůfa and was featured in Apprentice Showcase as Meg Page in Falstaff, Mercédès in Carmen and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. In 2017, she was selected to be a part of the Central City Opera Bonfils-Stanton Artist Training Program where she covered the role of Mercédès in Carmen.     

     

    Ms. Sarian holds both a Graduate Performance Diploma and her Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from The Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University. Her performance credits there include the title role in Massenet’s Chérubin, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Third Lady in The Magic Flute, and covers of Hansel in Hansel und Gretel and Dorabella in Così fan tutte.     

     

    Among her recognitions are two encouragement awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as well as her two-time designation as recipient of the George Castelle Memorial Award in Voice from The Peabody Conservatory.        

     

    Ms. Sarian is a native of Long Island, New York.

  • lukas schmidt: tenor

    A native of Kent, Ohio, Lukas Schmidt is a performer and arts administrator. Luke holds a master's degree from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where he received the George Castelle Prize in Voice and a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Bowling Green State University.

     

    Most recently, Lukas returned to Peabody to perform the role of Dr. Osborn in John Musto’s opera Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt and performed the role of Frederic in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance with the Young Victorian Theatre Company in Baltimore. Highlights of his other roles include Prunier in La rondine, Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, The Prince in Rusalka, Jupiter in Semele, Herman in The Most Happy Fella, Tenor in The Four Note Opera, and Babolet in The Lantern Wedding. Lukas also worked with Peabody Opera Theatre on the world staged premiere of Kirke Mechem’s Pride & Prejudice, where he interpreted the role of Charles Bingley in their 2019-2020 season.

     

    Lukas is an admirer of Swedish “Romanser,” and performed songs and arias by famed Swedish composers such as Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, Helena Munktell, and Wilhelm Stenhammar in recitals and masterclasses while at Peabody. During his time there, he studied Scandinavian lyric diction and hopes to contribute to bringing the repertoire to a larger audience.

     

    Mr. Schmidt is excited to be a part of today’s performance and looks forward to sharing the stage with such talented and experienced artists.

  • John Arlievsky: baritone

    John Arlievsky is an up-and-coming baritone, conductor, composer and pianist whose recent successes are building momentum towards the start of a far-reaching and exciting career in music. Upcoming engagements include the title role of Don Giovanni with Peabody Opera Theatre, an outreach lecture-recital produced by the Denyce Graves Foundation, and Osanna Chamber Ensemble’s 2023 season as its artistic director and chief conductor.


    John began voice study with Sharon Sweet at Westminster Choir College, where he was a triple major in voice, piano, and composition. Currently, he studies voice performance under Randall Scarlata as a 4th year undergraduate at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

  • Julie Vidrick evans: organ

    Julie Vidrick Evans has performed with distinguished ensembles and in solo concerts in Eastern Europe and across the U.S., including The Kennedy Center and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. As an enthusiastic voice for the Trio Sonatas of J.S. Bach she has performed the complete Trio Sonatas for Organ (BWV 525-530) as part of the Annual Bach Marathon at Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, at The Grace Church Bach Festival, Grace Church, Georgetown, and as the concert prelude to The AGO National Convention. She is a frequent concerto soloist with Apollo Orchestra and recently performed the Washington premier of Rachel Laurin's Fantaisie-Rondo (Energico) from Concerto in D for Organ, String Orchestra and Timpani. 

     

    Julie earned a Master of Music from The Catholic University of America and a Bachelor of Music from James Madison University as a student of Richard McPherson. She is often seen cycling to work at The Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., where she is in her 16th year as Director of Music.