THE HOLIDAY TRADITION
December 8, 2012 @ 7pm VMA 
Handel’s magnificent Messiah!
Betsy Burleigh, conductor
The Providence Singers
Soloists TBA
A Don’t-Miss Holiday Concert!
The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra is joined by the Providence Singers for a spectacular performance of one of the most glorious works in the choral literature: Handel’s Messiah. The Orchestra and 100 voices perform Messiah’s huge Choruses including “For unto us a Child is born,” “Lift up your heads,” “And the Glory of the Lord” and the famous “Hallelujah” as well as gorgeous arias sung by our vocal soloists.
website: providencesingers.org
TICKETS: ON SALE AUGUST 1, 2012
Betsy Burleigh, Conductor
A graduate of Indiana University (Bachelor of Music Education with distinction, vocal concentration), Betsy Burleigh earned graduate degrees in choral conducting at the New England Conservatory (Master of Music with distinction) and Indiana University (Doctor of Music).
Throughout her career, she has combined her interests in choral and orchestral conducting with her academic interests in choral education. She was music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus, chorus master for Cleveland Opera and assistant director of choruses for the Cleveland Orchestra. She also prepared choruses for Blossom Festival, the Cleveland Orchestra’s program of summer performances. She has commissioned a number of choral works, including Andrew Rindfleisch’s Anthem.
She served as professor of music at Cleveland State University, conducting university ensembles and teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, choral literature, choral methods and diction (English, French and German). She also served as interim conductor of the Cleveland State Orchestra. She was a member of the faculty for 15 years before moving to Boston in 2010.
In Pittsburgh, Dr. Burleigh prepared the Mendelssohn Choir for all choral performances of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, including concerts by Manfred Honeck, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Leonard Slatkin and Sir Andrew Davis, among others. She also conducted the chorus and orchestra for Handel’s Messiah.
In addition to serving as artistic director of the Providence Singers, Dr. Burleigh is the music director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and of Chorus pro Musica in Boston.