"One of my favorite pieces in the whole world …"

As the holidays approach, most people relax their schedules to enjoy the season with friends and family. But for Nic, who's devoted so much of his life to exploring the music of Handel, the holiday season means it's time to break out his Messiah score and get ready to travel!

After conducting Messiah more than 150 times throughout his career, 2023 finds him leading 10 performances in five cities. The season began earlier this month in Grand Rapids, Michigan — which featured magical lighting that evoked the work's 1742 premiere in Dublin — and will finish up just before Christmas with the fabulous musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir.

If your December travels bring you to Calgary, Edmonton, New Jersey, or Philadelphia in the coming weeks, you can treat yourself to a festive performance of this beloved oratorio led by a Handel expert. In fact, the Philadelphia Orchestra boasts that:

"It's hard to imagine a more fascinating character to conduct Handel's most famous work than Nicholas McGegan — unless, of course, you could raise Handel himself to do the job."

Coming up in December …

• Detroit Symphony Orchestra (January 11–14)

• Oulo Symphony (February 22)

• Cantata Collective (March 21)

• NDR Radiophilharmonie (April 12)

• Blackwater Valley Opera (May 27–June 3)