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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Members of the Yellowknife Choral Society are celebrating their 30th anniversary by returning to the musical project that first inspired local singers to form the society back in 1978.

The society presents Handel's Messiah tonight through Saturday.

Karen Wedel sings with the Yellowknife Choral Society. The choir is performing Handel's Messiah this weekend. - photo courtesy of Alexander Legaree

The choralists first organized 30 years ago as the Messiah Singers for their first performance of Handel's Messiah in Yellowknife. The society now features three choirs.

The Aurora Chorealis choir, a non-auditioned community choir with 65 members, and the Yellowknife Chamber Choir, an auditioned choir with 18 members, are singing Handel's masterpiece tonight.

The society's Fireweed Children's Chorus, a non-auditioned choir for students in Grades 4-8, performed another Christmas concert last week.

Aurora Chorealis co-director Margo Nightingale joined the society in 1994 as a singer. She is conducting the Messiah for the second time since she began conducting with the society in 2000.

"This performance will promise to be even more exciting, I have no doubt," she said.

The society assembled a 13-piece professional orchestra featuring guest musicians from Ontario, Alberta and B.C. alongside local musicians Azure DeGrow on timpani, flutist Maureen Crotty-Williams, violinist Catherine Brandon and Jo Russell and Anita Kuzma on harpsichord.

Solo vocalists Daniel Gillis, Shelly Gislason, Shawn Mattas and Susan Shantora will also add new excitement to the production.

Erin Huck, who sings with both adult choirs, said she is looking forward to the upcoming performances.

"It's so nice to be part of something where everybody is putting in an effort together," she said.

"People are there because they love to sing and you feel that."

The concerts begin tonight at 7:30 p.m. at St. Patrick's Parish Church and continue until Saturday, Dec. 13.

Tickets are available at Inspired in the Yk Centre Mall.