Singers of all skill levels will come together at 6 p.m. Dec. 9 at the First United Methodist Church in Cortez for the seventh annual Messiah Sing-in.

Event organizer Patricia Faulkner said orchestra members and soloists have been practicing for months, but anyone from the community is invited to sing along with George Frideric Handel’s 1741 masterpiece oratorio, called “Messiah.” The piece ends with the well-known “Hallelujah Chorus.”

“That’s why this is fun – because you can have these huge chorus numbers and they just get to come and sing,” Faulkner said.

She said the orchestra and chorus has reached as many as 40 members in years past. This year, the oldest orchestra member is 94, and the youngest soloist is 11 years old, Faulkner said. She said the large age range shows that the Messiah Sing-in appeals to many groups of people.

As the chorus typically includes novice and experienced singers, Faulkner said the newcomers can lean on the “Messiah” experts. She said her mantra is “participation and not perfection.”

“It’s hard to imagine that it can come out so well,” Faulkner said. “What happens is you have a lot of singers who come who have sung in a Messiah in year’s past, so it’s not like everybody is sight reading the music.”

The Messiah Sing-in is always looking for more tenor and bass singers, Faulkner said. Singers don’t have to sign up in advance, but are encouraged to arrive at the First United Methodist Church, 515 N. Park St., at 5:30 p.m.

sdolan@the-journal.com