The Nidderdale Messiah was conceived in 2004 to serve three purposes:

To herald the Christmas season.
To raise money for charitable purposes.
To be a thoroughly enjoyable musical community event in which all can participate.

Since the first Nidderdale Messiah in November 2004 at Ripley, more and more of you have come either to sing or to listen to Handel’s masterpiece. With the generosity of donors, advertisers and sponsors, between us we have raised thousands of pounds for charities to facilitate their work. Thus we can take heart that so many with both mental and physical problems, supported by carers and all those others who work so diligently on their behalf with no thought of recognition or reward, have benefited.

 Each year we have the opportunity to enjoy a talented group of soloists and musicians, the majority of whom are distinguished figures in their respective musical fields, led by our musical director. They all care enough about Nidderdale Messiah and its aims to offer their services for no financial gain. All those that help in the organisation in such areas as the website, ticketing, publicity, printing, advertising and sponsorship also offer their services with no remuneration. Thus after a donation to the host church and sundry essential small expenses, which may include soloists’ travel expenses, all the monies raised go to the nominated charity. We and the charity that benefits each year are indeed most fortunate in this respect and we offer everyone who participates our profound thanks.

Clearly the day could not proceed without a seriously competent Musical Director to knock us into shape in one and a half hours and we have been most fortunate in the tremendous interest and commitment that Marilynne Davies has offered us in recent years. Taking charge of all the musical aspects, it was she who formulated the instrumental ensemble which works so well for this event, she who has engaged the soloists, organist and instrumentalists, and she who has extracted such a magnificent result from an ever-enthusiastic but nevertheless disparate group of singers.

Such effort should not be under-estimated and this year Marilynne has decided that the time has come for her
to pass on the baton. She leaves us with this message:

For the past four years it has been my privilege and pleasure to conduct the Nidderdale Messiah.
It is now time for me to pass the baton to someone else.
In those four years I have been impressed by the way singers have come together with such good humour in the various Churches in Nidderdale to perform this very special oratorio on one
rehearsal followed almost immediately by the performance. Everyone has come not only
to share in the music but to raise money for charity.
I have always felt well supported by singers, soloists and instrumentalists all of whom have given
their time and expertise to make the occasion such a happy one.
This is a winning formula and I am convinced it will go from strength to strength providing the
opportunity for an annual Messiah in Nidderdale raising money for worthy causes.

Marilynne Davies

So it is with our most grateful thanks to Marilynne that we welcome another distinguished musician, David Andrews, as our new Musical Director. David is a highly experienced violinist, organist and choral conductor, and no stranger to fund-raising having recently joined an elite group for a return trip to John 0’Groats on a vintage motor-cycle to raise money for the Parkinson's Disease Society. You will find more about David and our soloists and instrumentalists this year by
following the link below.

Sadly we also say Good Bye to John Dunford as our organist. John has invariably come from conducting a concert the previous evening and then spent almost six and a half hours of his Sunday playing the organ for us so ably, a remarkable commitment resulting in a seven day working week. We offer you our most grateful thanks, John. In his place we are delighted to welcome Graham Barber, a recital organist ex Leeds University Music Department and the organist at Armley, Leeds. Again you will find more information about him by following the link below.

As the Nidderdale Messiah has grown, the need for a formal management organisation has been keenly felt and this year it is gratifying to report the formation of a committee whose members are volunteers and regular participants. They are:

Chairman	John Hodgson
Musical Director	David Andrews
Secretary	Katy Penn
Treasurer	Vacant
Ticketing and Technical Services	Robert Young
Logistics and Floor Management	Bryan Dexter
Publicity, Advertising and Sponsorships	Vacant
Catering & Hospitality Liaison	Jane Burniston
	Louise Dexter
Public Relations	Geoffrey Raspin

All can be contacted via email at admin@nidderdalemessiah.org.uk or using the contact details on the Contacts page. However Please Note that we need a Treasurer and a persuasive someone with a flair for publicity. The former is very straightforward for anyone with a head for figures; the latter would be ideal for a persistent diplomat who enjoys a challenge - who was it that said recently that the publicity could be improved? - STEP FORWARD! We have only a few meetings at a Nidderdale venue.

We are all looking forward to offering you a warm welcome once again in November.
John Hodgson, Chairman

Nidderdale Messiah 2011 - Details	Nidderdale Messiah 2011 - Sponsors
Nidderdale Messiah 2011 - Soloists & Instrumentalists	Nidderdale Messiah 2011 - Press Review
Nidderdale Messiah 2011 Running Order

Additional Information - Please contact us using the details on the Contacts page.