Reginald Mobley featured in New York Times: 'Meet the People Who Can’t Bring You ‘Messiah’ This Year'

Every year, Handel’s “Messiah” is a communal ritual — a glittering parade of recitatives, arias and choruses that binds listeners and performers together in a story of promise, betrayal and redemption. But not this year. In 2020 the oratorio, if you listen to it at all, will be by necessity a private matter. And many artists for whom it is a beloved (and remunerative) staple remain almost entirely out of work.

In this context, the emotional arc of “Messiah” — from comfort to grief to eventual relief — can feel more powerful than ever. Reginald Mobley joins respected artists including Brian Giebler, Luthien Brackett, Joélle Harvey, Joe Miller, Jonathan Woody, Kent Tritle, Jolle Greenleaf, and Dashon Burton, to offer his own testimony on the experience of performing the Messiah, exploring the meaning behind the aria ‘He was despised’, and his memories of performing this piece throughout his career.

Read the full article here.