AME Zion Church To Get Proceeds From Strathmore's 'Messiah' Concerts

BETHESDA, MD — A portion of the proceeds from the National Philharmonic’s two performances of “Messiah” at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda will be donated to the restoration of the historic Scotland African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Potomac.

The National Philharmonic’s performances of “Messiah” at Strathmore will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. For these two performances, 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the church restoration.

The Potomac church has been a center of community for Black congregants since 1924, but its structure was nearly destroyed and left unusable by a flood in 2019. The church and its community partners in Montgomery County have launched a multiphase project to repair and restore the building.

Composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, “Messiah” includes strings, oboes, trumpets, timpani, and basso continuo, as well as a choir and four vocal soloists. Following Handel’s death in 1759, it has become a staple of the Christmas season.

The National Philharmonic’s holiday performances will feature the National Philharmonic Chorale and Orchestra under the baton of Stan Engebretson. The performances will be joined by four soloists: soprano Kearstin Piper Brown, mezzo soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Norman Shankle, and baritone Jorell Williams.

“Several aspects will make these performances even more meaningful than in years past: our fantastic cast of vocal soloists, whom we’re thrilled to showcase; our effort to raise awareness of, and much-needed support for, the Scotland A.M.E. Zion Church; and our learning and engagement activities to educate audiences about the complicated history behind Handel," National Philharmonic Music Director Piotr Gajewski said in a statement.

The Scotland A.M.E. Zion Mass Choir and its director Michael Terry will perform a pre-concert set before the National Philharmonic's performances. These pre-concert sets will be free and will start 30 minutes prior to "Messiah" in the venues’ lobby areas. Along with the two performances at Strathmore, the National Philharmonic will be performing "Messiah" on Friday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall in Tysons.

“We are overjoyed to bring back "Messiah" — our most popular event each season — and to reach more people in the DMV area by presenting the program at two locations,” Gajewski added.

The performances will also provide an opportunity to educate audiences about the history of Handel. An area of focus will be the recent scholarship uncovering Handel’s link to the slave economy through his own financial investments and by accepting donations from investors in the Royal African Company.

To explore these topics, the National Philharmonic is partnering with the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts to present Hidden Handel, a seminar at the CAAPA Cultural Center in Fort Washington, Maryland, on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m.

Here are the concert schedules:

• Saturday, Dec. 17, at 8:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore
• Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore
• Friday, Dec. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall

Tickets for the three shows range from $19 to $99 and are available online at nationalphilharmonic.org. Children 17 and under can attend National Philharmonic performances for free through the All Kids. All Free. All the Time. initiative.

The Scotland African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was built by hand and opened in 1924 by Black congregants in Potomac. Registered as a State Historic Site by the Maryland Historical Trust, the church is the only historic building to survive in the Scotland community.