Messiah Sing-A-Long/Play-A-Long

I had a cozy evening with lots of chicken at Sta. Rita last night while Alice braved the cold to sing Handel's Messiah with hundreds of humans. Her local university sing-a-long is also a play-a-long. Memorial Church was packed up to the rafters. Sometimes kazoos come for the orchestra. This year there were lots and lots of recorder players who covered the oboe and basson bits. First violins were led by professors of engineering and psychiatry. Everyone who wants to gets to sing the solos. As always, the Hallelujah chorus was played and sung twice.
A group of the Stanford Savoyards were there along the altar rail. They led the student cheer to start the performance in commemoration of the fact that day was the last day of finals for them. They also posed under the mosiac by the altar which was the inspiration for their second act set to their Fall 2007 Pirates of Penzance show. Sir Arthur Sullivan would have enjoyed the night. So too, Mr. Handel.