We are proud to be a part of the Missa Solemnis Alliance 

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The Beethoven Missa Solemnis is a major orchestral and choral work composed by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1819 to 1823. The Missa Solemnis Alliance represents many of the very best in our community and beyond, coming together in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven. Musicians are comprised of organizations all across the Panhandle area. This includes Chamber Music Amarillo, the Amarillo Symphony, Amarillo Master Chorale, Panhandle PBS, West Texas A&M University, Wayland Baptist University, Amarillo College, and First Baptist Church of Amarillo. We celebrate the Panhandle Spirit as we present this incredibly challenging work, rarely done as the forces needed must give an enormous effort asked by Beethoven. The ongoing preparations began in 2018 and are being captured in a Panhandle PBS documentary about what our Panhandle community is capable of artistically. As this work has never been performed here, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Amarillo, Texas. It will amaze you and make you proud of the extraordinary talent in our community. Don’t miss this incredible work, a piece described by Beethoven as “the greatest music I have ever written.” Why is the Missa Solemnis so special? Beethoven considered this “the greatest music I have ever written,” and it is considered by many to be one of the finest choral and orchestra works ever written. The artistic forces secured total 173 musicians, including one conductor, four soloists, 63 orchestra musicians, and 105 choral musicians. The choral writing displays Beethoven’s characteristic virtuosic demands on the performer, which are technically and physically exacting, with many sudden dynamic and melodic changes and fast and slow singing, all of which, when combined, are extremely challenging to sing. And the orchestral parts are no less demanding. The virtuosity of the piece, combined with the requirements for a full orchestra, large chorus, and highly trained soloists, means that it is usually only performed in large metroplexes. The Missa Solemnis Alliance represents the best in our community and beyond, and the Amarillo Symphony is proud to celebrate the Panhandle Spirit as we present this monumental work.

MUSICIANS: 

Mela Sarajane Dailey, soprano 

Ellen Graham, mezzo-soprano 

Eric Barry, tenor 

Clayton Brainerd, bass 

Michael Palmer, conductor 

The Amarillo Symphony and Chamber Music Amarillo, orchestra 

Amarillo Master Chorale, chorus

First Baptist Church of Amarillo, chorus 

WTAMU singers, chorus

Members of the AISD and CISD Choir Directors, chorus 

Amarillo College, chorus 

WBU singers, chorus

REPERTOIRE: Beethoven, Missa Solemnis in d major, op. 123

The Beethoven, Missa Solemnis The Missa Solemnis is a solemn, sung mass composed by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1819 to 1823. It was first performed on 7 April 1824 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, under the auspices of Beethoven’s patron Prince Nikolai Galitzin. An incomplete performance was given in Vienna on 7 May 1824, when the Kyrie, Credo, and Agnus Dei, three of the five movements, were conducted by the composer. It is generally considered to be one of the composer’s supreme achievements and, along with Bach’s Mass in B minor, one of the most significant Mass settings of the common practice period.