Messiah Oratorio – “Christmas Selection”

SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER 2026 AT 18:00, ROVANIEMI CHURCH

Messiah Oratorio, Christmas selection

JULIA PIHAVAINIO, soprano
AILI HEIKKILÄ, alto
JAAKKO-ILKKA MÄENPÄÄ, tenor
MARKO OLLILA, bass
SEITAKUORO
INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE
KADRI JOAMETS, musical director

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759): Messiah Oratorio

A Christmas 2026 concert event: performed in Rovaniemi for the first time in nearly ten years, and produced entirely by local Rovaniemi performers. Georg Friedrich Händel’s timeless masterpiece Messiah leads listeners into an atmosphere of anticipation, joy and hope. Händel’s musical language combines delicate beauty, the power of festive choral sections and moving solo passages in a way that has enchanted audiences for almost three centuries. The work’s most famous choral scene, the Hallelujah Chorus, is among the best-known pieces of music of all time.

The Messiah Oratorio will be performed by Seitakuoro, the flagship of Lapland’s choral scene, which has brought together some of the city’s finest Baroque music performers as orchestra members and soloists for this Christmas production. The conductor is Seitakuoro’s artistic director, Kadri Joamets. The performance features the first, Christmas-themed part of the oratorio, as well as the Hallelujah Chorus—in other words, the so-called “Christmas selection.”

This promises an experience that will move both classical music lovers and first-time listeners. The concert is organised in collaboration with Lapland Music and Dance Institute and has received a grant from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation.

The concert lasts approximately 1 hour, with no interval. Unnumbered seating. Please arrive in good time to ensure a good seat. Please be prepared to show proof of eligibility for a discount when your ticket is checked. A companion accompanying a wheelchair user does not need a separate ticket.