Columbia Choral Society to sing entire Messiah with SC Philharmonic

Pat Prather (l), Margaret Beth Williamson, and Celeste Cobb are among the Columbia Choral Society members who will be singing Handel's Messiah Saturday and Sunday.

By Rachel Haynie

The Columbia Choral Society will be singing the choral version by Watkins Shaw for their upcoming production of Handel's Messiah. The volunteer musicians who audition to become members of the choral society must furnish their own sheet music. Many have a full collection of the scores of Messiah. Margaret Beth Williamson, for instance, has three.

"I've hung onto the one from which I first sang the Messiah, even though the black construction paper cover on it is ragged now. I was at Winthrop College when I got it, and I used it when I first became a member of the choral society in 1954."

Williamson moved to Columbia to begin her teaching career at Hyatt Park Elementary School. The school was just a few blocks away from Columbia College where Guthrie Darr was lifting the voices of female students by day and founding the choral society during the evenings. Last year the ensemble celebrated its 75th anniversary, and Darr is still a part, now as a vocal member.

After some years at the blackboard, Williamson found the demands of being a fourth grade teacher so demanding she dropped out of the choral society in the '60s. After her retirement in 1987, she gathered up her music, including a second edition of Messiah by Michael Shermer, and rejoined.

"I remember when we used to rehearse in the old USO building down on Assembly Street where the post office is now. Over the years we have rehearsed in various church choir rooms, and while Larry Wyatt was our director, we rehearsed in USC's choir room in McMaster College."

The choral society now uses the First Baptist Church choir room. They rehearse on Mondays from 6:45 until 9:00 pm with their director, Dr. Will Carswell, also director of choral studies at Coker College. "It is rare for Columbia to get to hear Messiah in its entirety," Williamson said. "Usually, the traditional holiday portion is performed."

Saturday, November 18, the choral society will give a performance of the complete Messiah with the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra under Maestro Nicholas Smith at 7 pm at the Koger Center and on Sunday, November 19 at 3 pm at the Newberry Opera House.

The choral society will use only the traditional holiday portion of Handel's Messiah for the Messiah Sing-Along Monday, December 18 at 7 pm at Washington Street United Methodist Church.