Heralding the holiday season, the DePaul Chamber Orchestra under the baton of its conductor Tom Hall, and partnered by nine soloists and an 110-member chorus, presents excerpts from Handel’s beloved oratorio, “Messiah,” at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 in the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

The DePaul Chamber Orchestra (DPCO) began as a pilot project at DePaul’s School of Music in the winter of 2000. This year, winds have been added to this small string orchestra. Tom Hall, a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s violin section since 1970 and an adjunct faculty member at DePaul, has led the ensemble since 2002. As conductor, his aim is “to program works of various musical styles, including compositions by fellow DePaul students. The ‘Messiah’ performance has grown from my original intent to have the DPCO present Handel choruses—giving the students experience with choral forces—to this full-scale program.”

The 100 singers—members of the DePaul University Singers and Concert Choir—will lift their collective voice in song for this performance of “Messiah.” The DePaul University Singers boasts a roster of approximately 40 students, most of whom are voice majors. This ensemble was created in 2000 by Clayton Parr, the director of Choral Activities at the School of Music. Members of this choral group have gone on to join prestigious choruses of the Lyric Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Grant Park Orchestra, and to perform on opera stages in major music centers throughout the country.

The DePaul Concert Choir, a larger group of singers, comprises mostly incoming students from all college disciplines who have an interest in performing and the ability to sing. Both the University Singers and Concert Choir perform on and off campus throughout the school year.

Following its initial public rehearsal in 1742, the musical glories of “Messiah” were first proclaimed by a Dublin journal, which said the work “was allowed by the greatest Judges to be the finest Composition of Musick that ever was heard.” Unlike traditional oratorios, Handel’s masterwork has no dramatic characters. The story, divided into three parts, is pieced together from texts from the Old Testament and the Book of Common Prayer, the service book of the Church of England. At this Nov. 10 concert, Part I and the brilliant “Hallelujah” that ends Part II will be performed.

For more information, call the DePaul School of Music: (773) 325-7260.