Skip to main content
search

About The Messiah Project

The Messiah Project is an Against the Grain Theatre and Opera InReach collaborative effort giving two schools from across Canada a professional filming and recording experience and a pre-show feature for the premiere of the internationally acclaimed Messiah/Complex!

This year’s selected choirs were the Agincourt Singers of Agincourt Collegiate Institute from Scarborough Ontario and the Mennonite Collegiate Institute Concert Choir from Gretna, Manitoba.

The choirs collaborated with Opera InReach and Against the Grain to create a filmed version of “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. watch the video to hear a little bit more about their experience

Meet the Choirs

Agincourt Collegiate Institute

Scarborough, ON

 

Agincourt Singers in the Hallelujah Chorus music video—Photo by Taylor Long

The Agincourt Singers from Agincourt Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario is comprised of 60 grade 10, 11, & 12 students, dedicated to building a choral community in a chamber music setting.

This year, the students meet once a week to learn choral repertoire which they describe as both challenging and very rewarding to sing. The choir, which cannot perform live for an audience this year, has initiated “Feel Good Fridays” where we send out video recordings of pieces we are working on to our wider community in the spirit of healing and bringing positivity into the world

 

 

Mennonite Collegiate Institute

Gretna, MB

 

MCI Concert Choir in the Hallelujah Chorus music video—Photo by Folk Films

Mennonite Collegiate Institute is an independent, faith-based school in Gretna, MB. We are a school (and choir) of 78 students from grades 9-12. We have students who drive to campus and students who live in our dorm, which ensures that we always have an elective mix of students from across Manitoba, North America, and the world!

At our school, we invite everyone to join the MCI Concert Choir because we believe singing is valuable to building community and connection. We feel so honoured to be selected for this project. We are thrilled to be reimagining our yearly tradition of singing the Hallelujah Chorus in this new and exciting way.

 

Video Editing & Videography by: Taylor Long

Audio by: Ryan Harper

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Track provided by: Against the Grain Theatre

Video Editing by: Taylor Long

Videography: Folk Films

Audio by: Darryl Neustaedter Barg

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Track provided by: Against the Grain Theatre

The "Hallelujah Chorus" Music Video

The Messiah Project Pre-Show Event

This 30-minute Pre-Show Event for Messiah/Complex is the culmination of Against the Grain Theatre and Opera InReach’s collaborative community engagement effort The Messiah Project. For those who missed it, Against the Grain Theatre and Opera InReach joined forces to bring two high-school choirs from across Canada together(ish) to create a professional music video of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.

Hosted by AtG’s Artistic Director Joel Ivany, the event features the debut of the Hallelujah Chorus music video that was created with the two schools chosen for the project. It also includes a panel discussion about the project with members of OIR and AtG, as well as students and teachers from our selected schools (Agincourt Collegiate Institute and the Mennonite Collegiate Institute).

It was streamed live, but is still available to watch! 

Close Menu