22nd Annual Handel's Messiah Sing-Along
Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 4 PM
Join us for the 22nd Annual Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along! Experience this cherished holiday tradition on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at 4 PM at Fairlington United Methodist Church. Sing along to Part One and the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s masterpiece with guest soloists Rachel Blaustein, soprano; Gregorious Valkenberg, countertenor; William Davenport, tenor; and Ross Tamaccio, baritone.
Also featuring Telemann’s Concerto in G Major for Two Violettas, TWV 52:G3, performed by violists Mary Dausch and Dorothy Couper, with The Amadeus Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Louise Wilson.
Admission and parking are free! Bring your own Messiah score or purchase a G. Schirmer edition for $9 at the door. Don’t miss this inspiring community event where you are the chorus!
Rachel Blaustein
Soprano
Praised for her “exquisite lyricism and velvet-gloved high notes” (Washington Classical Review) German American soprano Rachel Blaustein was recently named a 2022 Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Rachel’s exciting 2025/26 season kicked off at The Spoleto Festival USA, where she jumped in at the eleventh hour to sing an “evocative” Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw for three out of four performances (CultureSouth). She also made her role and company debut as Cincinnati Opera as Hodel in a new production of Fiddler on the Roof, a role she reprises later in the season in a return to Austin Opera. On the recital front, she joins the Ravinia Festival as a Vocal Fellow in their prestigious Steans Institute, joins the Art of Song Festival at the Colburn School curated by Maestro James Conlon, and presents a recital at The Glessner House in Chicago. Additionally, she makes her role and company debut in the title role of Viardot’s Cinderella at Opera Montana, joins Chicago Opera Theater as Mistress Ford (cvr) in Salieri’s Falstaff, and debuts with Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah.
Her ’24/25 season included a return to Carnegie Hall for Erica Glenn’s premiere of The Worldwide Requiem, her debut with Austin Opera as Jocelyn Jordan in The Manchurian Candidate, her debut with South Florida Symphony in Handel’s Messiah, and the title role in Rusalka with Pacific Opera Project. In recent seasons, Rachel made her debut as Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Delaware and Opera Baltimore to great acclaim and joined The Metropolitan Opera workshop of Mason Bates’ recent triumph premiere of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay in the role of Sarah Kavalier. She previously sang Laura Brown in The Metropolitan Opera workshop of The Hours, debuted with Maryland Lyric Opera as Nannetta in Falstaff and Annapolis Opera as Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro. She originated the role of Micòl Finzi Contini in Ricky Ian-Gordon’s world premiere, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis with New York City Opera and is on the 2024 Grammy Nominated Album (Best Opera Recording), The Lord of Cries, as Autonoe (second sister). Rachel holds a Bachelors Degree from Hofstra University and a Master of Music from The Peabody Conservatory and is represented by UIA Talent Agency.
Gregorious Valkenberg
Countertenor
Gregorius Valkenberg is a countertenor based in Baltimore, Maryland. 2023-2024 saw Valkenberg sing in a masterclass with Anthony Roth Costanzo, and appear in Duke Chapel’s Bach Cantata series as alto soloist for Bach’s Mit Fried und Freud (BWV 125) & Kuhnau’s Ich habe Lust abzuscheiden.
Ths February, Valkenberg will perform the role of Endimione in Cavalli's La Calisto with Peabody Opera Theater. Valkenberg was recognized as a semi-finalist in the 2022 CS Music Pre-professional competition in Chicago, Illinois. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was a first prize winner in the Music of the Centuries online competition, in 2020. On the Operatic stage, Valkenberg has performed the roles of Tolomeo, in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in 2019. He also learned and studied the role of Mr. Jenks in The Tenderland, but performances were cancelled with the Covid-19 pandemic starting. In 2023, Valkenberg returned to the operatic stage with Chicago Summer Opera, performing the role of Narciso in Handel’s Agrippina. Valkenberg received his Bachelor of Arts from the Catholic University of America in 2021, having graduated Magna Cum Laude, and studied voice with Gustavo Ahualli. In 2023, Valkenberg began his Masters studies at Peabody, studying with Barry Banks.
William Davenport
Tenor
Acclaimed for his "huge vocal ability" by Italian critics following his debut as the Duke in Rigoletto, William Davenport has established himself as a formidable presence in the world of opera.
Mr. Davenport's impressive repertoire spans a wide range of roles and venues. He has captivated audiences as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore at prestigious theaters including Valencia's Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, and Opera Delaware. His portrayal of Rodolfo in La bohème has graced the stages of Sarasota Opera, Opera Naples, and Teatro Comunale Potenza.
Other notable engagements include Ernesto in Don Pasquale (Opera Naples), the title role in Roberto Devereux (Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova), Arnold in Guglielmo Tell (Southern Illinois Music Festival), and Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia (Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia). Mr. Davenport has also triumphed as Alfredo in La Traviata (Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova), Fritz in L'amico Fritz (Baltimore Concert Opera), and the Duke in Rigoletto (Sarasota Opera).
His versatility shines through performances as diverse as the title role in Les Contes d'Hoffman (Union Opera), Tonio in La Fille du Regiment (Sarasota Opera), Lensky in Eugene Onegin, Nencio in L'infedeltà delusa, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica).
With each role, William Davenport continues to solidify his reputation as a rising star in the opera world, captivating audiences with his powerful voice and compelling performances.
Ross Tamaccio
Baritone
Born in Washington, D.C., and currently residing in Baltimore, MD, Ross Tamaccio has enjoyed an emerging career as a solo and ensemble singer in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area and throughout North America. He is a well-known soloist with Washington Bach Consort, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Central Maryland Chorale, Bach in Baltimore, and Maryland Choral Society. As a sought-after ensemble singer, Ross performs with the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, Conspirare, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, The Thirteen, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Bach Akademie Charlotte, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Baltimore Concert Opera, and has performed with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (UK), Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Handel and Haydn Society, and Tafelmusik Baroque Chorus and Orchestra. Currently, he sings with the Washington National Cathedral Choir.
Highlights from recent seasons include the world premiere of Peter Latona’s The Saint’s Triumphant with the National Shrine Choir, the east coast premiere of Jake Heggie’s Out of Darkness, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Huntington Symphony, Durufle’s Requiem with The Thirteen Choir, Handel’s Messiah with the Central Maryland Chorale, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs and Dona Nobis Pacem with Maryland Choral Society. In the 2021-2022 season, Ross was a Voces8 Vocal Scholar. Upcoming projects include performances with Conspirare, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Kinnara, solo engagements with Spire Chamber Ensemble and Washington Bach Consort as part of their Noontime Cantata Series. Ross is a graduate of Shepherd University and Peabody Conservatory. RossTamaccio.com
Mary Dausch
Viola
Mary Dausch grew up in Washington, DC and is a graduate of the DC Youth Orchestra Program and the NSO Youth Fellowship Program. She received her Bachelor of Music Performance from San Francisco Conservatory and received her Master of Music from Rice University.
After Mary moved back to the DC Area after a year in Amsterdam, she continued her career as a freelance musician. She now is the principal violist of Apollo Orchestra and Amadeus Orchestra. She is a founding member of the Grotto Ensemble and a member of the Georgetown Chamber Players. She substitutes with Maryland Symphony Orchestra and National Philharmonic, and plays with many other local orchestras, choruses, operas and other ensembles. She teaches private violin and viola lessons in her home studio.
Mary currently resides in Silver Spring, MD with her husband, dog and two of her four children (the other two are away at college). She plays on a viola made in 2014 by Dalton Potter.
Dorothy Couper
Viola
Dorothy Couper, violin and viola, is a native of the Baltimore-Washington area. After studying for many years at the Peabody Preparatory, Dorothy went on to study at the New England Conservatory and Tufts University, the Longy School of Music, and Peabody Conservatory. Her principal teachers include Felix Schwartz, principal of the Staatskapelle Berlin, Li-Kuo Chang of the Chicago Symphony, and Roger Tapping of the Juilliard String Quartet.
Prior to returning to the Baltimore area, Dorothy freelanced extensively in Berlin, Germany, and Boston, Massachusetts. Currently Ms. Couper plays with the Richmond Symphony, the Amadeus Orchestra, the Delaware Symphony, the Maryland Symphony, and the National Philharmonic, among others. Dorothy is also an active member of the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Musicians’ Unions.
As a chamber musician, Dorothy was previously a founding member of the Laurel Quartet, and has been a regular collaborator with the Evolution Concert Series and Classical Revolution Baltimore. She was also a founding member of the Syrinx Ensemble while studying in Boston. Dorothy has made guest appearances with the Edwin Trio, the Iris Ensemble, and has performed chamber music at festivals including Garth Newell, the Miami Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival.
Ms. Couper also maintains a private studio of viola and violin students and has previously taught for the Baltimore School for the Arts, BSO Orchkids, and the Peabody Preparatory. Her private students have gone on to study at the Eastman School of Music, the University of Maryland, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, and theJohns Hopkins University.
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