Jack Lantz, Director of Music & Worship Arts, directs the LCPC Chancel Choir & Orchestra. Photo courtesy of Jack Lantz, La Canada Presbyterian Church
A concert that George Frideric Handel presented nearly three centuries ago to inspire Britons to support a hospital devoted to orphaned children will be recreated on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2:00 p.m. at La Canada Presbyterian Church.
“Handel and the Foundling Hospital” will feature the LCPC Chancel Choir and Orchestra, directed by Jack Lantz, and soloists Lori Stinson and Victoria Aldridge (soprano), Diane Wallace (contralto), Matthew Thomas (tenor) and Gregory Geiger (bass).
The concert was presented in the chapel of the newly constructed Foundling Hospital in London on May 27, 1749. Handel sought to bring attention to the plight of babies left to die by the hundreds on the streets of the city. He composed a 30-minute piece of music based on the Psalms and other biblical passages that emphasized care for the poor and needy.
But he didn’t stop there. The famed composer also included in the concert his recently written “Music for the Royal Fireworks,” today one of his most popular works.
The concert premiere will be recreated “using the original vocal and instrumental forces,” Lantz promised. “Fans of Handel’s music will enjoy a surprise that he included in the ‘Foundling Hospital Anthem.’”
Funds raised at the concert will support Discover the World, which provides care to children in Kenya orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Tickets are $20. They may be purchased at the church office or at the door. La Canada Presbyterian Church is located at 626 Foothill Blvd. For additional information, call (818) 790-6708.
