Georg Frideric Handel's
First Oratorio: Esther

 

Saturday, September 26, 2026  |  7:30 p.m.

PAC at Garrett College, McHenry, MD

​

Sunday, September 27, 2026  |  4:00 p.m.

Trinity Lutheran Church, Hagerstown, MD

​

Written in 1718, Handel’s first oratorio Esther is often noted as the first English oratorio and like many of his oratorios followed a story taken from the biblical narrative found in the book of Esther.

Ahasuerus, king of Persia, after having divorced his wife Vashti, raised Esther to the throne. She was the niece of Mordecai, a Jew who had discovered a conspiracy against the king's crown and life. Enraged by a perceived insult from Mordecai, the wicked minister Haman, a favorite of the king and an enemy of the Jewish nation, procured an edict sanctioning the extermination of the entire people of the Jews from the kingdom. The rest of the story revolves around Esther convincing the king to rescind that edict, thereby saving the Jewish nation.
 

Handel set this story for an orchestra of strings, oboe, bassoon, horns, trumpet and harp. Mountainside Baroque will recreate this oratorio with replicas of historical instruments including natural horns and trumpet (no valves) and early harp. The internationally acclaimed soprano, Sarah Fliess will perform the role of Esther while the Grammy nominated tenor, Steven Soph will perform the role of king Ahasuerus. Other roles will be sung by Nathan Medley, Julie Bosworth, Corbin Phillips, Aaron Cates, Nathan Hodgson. The orchestra will be led by Juilliard faculty, Cynthia Roberts. The choir will be Mountainside Baroque’s resident choir, The Scholars of St. Cecelia augmented by select students from the music program at Frostburg State University.​