Professional Documents
Culture Documents
e s s i a h
Richard Drews tenor William Shomos bass
Presented by
andel's Messiah is one of the finest wonders of the musical world. Written for Easter, it took
time for Messiah to find its niche as a Christmas favorite. . . but the whole first part of Messiah is about the birth of Christ.
Our History
The Bethesda Mennonite Church Chancel Choir has a rich tradition of a high level of music performance for both worship service settings and special performances. All performances by the Chancel Choir are intended to be an outreach of Bethesda Mennonite Church. Besides Messiah, the choir has presented Vivaldis Gloria, Durantes Magnificat, and David Willcocks Christmas Carols with orchestra and soloists. The first presentation of Messiah at Bethesda was in 1969 under the direction of Don Peters with soloists and keyboard accompaniment. In 1981 the choir began a partnership with the Nebraska Symphony Chamber Orchestra from Lincoln, Nebraska to accompany the performance. This relationship continues to the present day. Every three years, Bethesda makes the commitment to offer this type of outreach to the public. The service is supported by free will offering.
Our Soloists
Leah Purdy, soprano
Leah Purdy is currently the Director of Choirs at North Platte High School where she directs the Freshman Choir, Mixed Choir, Concert Choir, Blue and Gold Singers and teaches Music Appreciation. She also directs a musical each year. Musicals under her direction have included West Side Story, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Into the Woods, Footloose, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Anything Goes and will direct Cinderella this spring. She has also held lead roles in a number of musicals including Into the Woods, Cinderella, Ruddigore, and Loves Me, and Seussical. This is her third appearance in the Messiah in Henderson. In 2007, Leah was chosen as Nebraska Wesleyan Universitys Outstanding Young Alumni for her accomplishments in teaching high school choral music. Leah also enjoys running, having completed her first half marathon this September. Leah is the daughter of our director, Rod and Judy Drews of Henderson. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Leah lives in North Platte with her husband Ryan and their three children: Elliott (10), Carly (7), and Addisyn (3).
Our Location
I-80 Exit 342 turn South on Spur 93A - 2.5 miles (turns into 17th St.) continue south on 17th St. until church.