This weekend its Houston Symphony's interpretation of Handel's Messiah. Handel's Messiah has been described by early-music scholar Richard Luckett as "a commentary on Jesus Christ's, Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension", beginning with God's promises as 
Bernard Labadie has established himself worldwide as one of the preeminent conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, a reputation closely tied to his work with Les Violons du Roy (for which he served as music director from its inception until 2014) and La Chapelle de Québec. With these ensembles, he has regularly toured Canada, the United States, and Europe, in major venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, The Barbican, The Concertgebouw, and the Salzburg Festival, among others. He began a four-year term as principal conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in the 2018-19 season.
Recent guest conducting highlights include the Chicago Symphony, Handel & Haydn Society, National Arts Center Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Utah Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Quebec Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de 
Monte-Carlo, Orchestre National de Lyon, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Bernard has become a regular presence on the podiums of the major North American orchestras, including the Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Boston, Colorado, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco symphonies; the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras; the Los Angeles and New York philharmonics; the Handel & Haydn Society; and L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.
Magali Simard-Galdès is a Canadian soprano renowned for her shimmering tone, her refined musicality, and her magnetic stage presence.
On the operatic stage, she has sung in Germany (Oper Köln), Canada (Opéra de Montréal, Opéra de Québec, and Vancouver Opera), the United States (Opera Lafayette, Opera Carolina, and Toledo Opera), and Ireland (Wexford Festival Opera).
Her operatic repertoire includes the roles of Agnes (Written on Skin, Benjamin), Roxane (Cyrano, DiChiera), Gilda (Rigoletto, Verdi), Sophie (Werther, Massenet), Constance (Dialogue des carmélites, Poulenc), Mad Chorus (The Overcoat, Rolfe), and Nicette (Le pré aux clercs, Hérold).
In recital, Magali has appeared at the Société d’art vocal de Montréal, the Festival d’Opéra de Québec, Mexico LiederFest, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Wexford Festival Opera, and Jeunesses Musicales Canada.
American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo made his operatic debut as Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream while still a student at the Royal College of Music in London. He has since performed the role extensively to great acclaim, including at Canadian Opera Company, Festival 
d’Aix-en-Provence, Staatsoper Hamburg, and, most recently, in Irina Brook’s exquisite new production at Wiener Staatsoper under the baton of Simone Young.
A diverse and thriving international opera career has taken Lawrence to most of the world’s leading opera houses and festivals appearing as Giulio Cesare at La Monnaie, English National Opera, Semperoper Dresden, and Opéra national de Paris (released on DVD); Farnace in Mozart’s Mitridate; re di Ponto for Bayerische Staatsoper; and Tolomeo (Giulio Cesare) at the Metropolitan Opera. He has sung the title roles in Radamisto for English National Opera, Orlandofor Welsh National Opera, Tamerlano for Oper Frankfurt; and Solomon for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He has appeared as Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice) at Canadian Opera Company and Den Norske Opera, Bertarido in Claus Guth’s production of Rodelinda at Opéra national de Lyon, Ottone (Agrippina) at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Goffredo (Rinaldo) at Staatsoper Berlin and Opernhaus Zürich, Arsamene (Xerxes) at Oper Frankfurt, Ottone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) at Theater an der Wien, La Monnaie and Bayerische Staatsoper, and most recently Disinganno (Il trionfo de tempo e del disinganno) at the Salzburg Whistun and summer festivals.
Canadian tenor Andrew Haji has become one of the most sought-after voices on both the operatic and concert stages. Winner of the Grand Prix at the 50th International Vocal Competition in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the Montreal International Music Competition’s Oratorio Prize, Andrew recently debuted with Calgary Opera as Pollione in Norma and performed Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall.
The Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern winner was heard as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore for the Canadian Opera Company, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opéra de Québec, Alfredo in La traviata for Vancouver Opera, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the Toronto Symphony, and Bach’s Matthäus Passion with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. The 2020-21 season also saw Andrew engage in digital productions, including starring as Satyavan in Against the Grain’s acclaimed stream of Holst’s Sāvitri. This upcoming season will include La traviata for Calgary Opera, La bohéme for Edmonton Opera, and a return to Carnegie Hall with Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch is a frequent interpreter of the principal Mozart roles of Don Giovanni, Count Almaviva, Figaro, and Leporello, which he has performed in theatres such as Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Dallas Opera. A strong Mozart presence continues through his current season with house debuts at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow as Don Giovanni and with Opernhaus Zürich as Count Almaviva in Le nozze 
In concert, Daniel joins the Houston Symphony for Handel’s Messiah led by Bernard Labadie this season, returns to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under Krzysztof Urbański, reprises Vaughan-Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with the Charlotte Symphony under Christopher Warren-Green, and joins the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
Showcasing an innate connection to the music of our time, Daniel has created several principal characters most notably Ennis del Mar in Charles Wuorinen’s Brokeback Mountain at Teatro Real in Madrid, Seth Brundle in Howard Shore’s The Fly at Paris’s Théâtre de Châtelet and Los Angeles Opera, Mark Rutland in Nico Muhly’s Marnie at English National Opera, and LBJ in David T Little’s JFK at Fort Worth Opera and Opéra de Montréal. Daniel recently made an acclaimed role debut as The Protector in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin at Opéra de Montréal and further explored the composer’s work in Katie Mitchell’s production of Lessons of Love and Violence at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.