A Columbia music director has come up with a novel way to interest people in a “Messiah” singalong.

For another week, the performance rights to eight vocal solos from Handel’s “Messiah” are being auctioned on eBay. The winning bidders purchase the opportunity to perform the solos with the Columbia Chorale and Columbia Civic Orchestra at a “Messiah” singalong at Missouri United Methodist Church on Dec. 10.

The Columbia Chorale’s artistic director, Alex Innecco, said the idea for the auction came out of his desire to make the informal singalong as engaging as possible.

“I’m always trying to find ways to make classical music down to earth,” Innecco said.

He sees the auctioned roles as a chance for less experienced singers to get their moment in the spotlight. But he also said this slightly unconventional casting technique puts a new spin on classical music.

Posted: 11|19|06 at 9:36 am. Filed under: Auction News.