The 2007 Do-It-Yourself Messiah Tickets Available Nov. 15 at 10 a.m.

The 2007 Do-It-Yourself Messiah Tickets Available Nov. 15 at 10 a.m.

Up to 7,000 tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis

CHICAGO, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, Dec. 21 and Saturday, Dec. 22, the Civic Opera House will host the 32nd annual Do-It-Yourself Messiah, Chicago's famed holiday tradition where the audience serves as the chorus while an orchestra performs George Frederic Handel's masterpiece, the Messiah. As many as 7,000 complimentary tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15. Tickets can be ordered one of three ways -- at the Civic Opera House Box Office located at 20 North Wacker Drive, through Ticketmaster by phone at 312.902.1500 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

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"Bank of America is proud to continue the LaSalle Bank Do-It-Yourself Messiah tradition in Chicago and its surrounding communities," said John Brennan, Illinois market president for Bank of America. "This event is a unique way to bring together people of different backgrounds, across generations, and from around the world to share one voice in celebration of the season."

The Messiah performance lasts approximately two and a half hours. The audience, seated according to voice range, sings the choral part of the piece. This year's performance will be led by a full orchestra comprised of volunteer musicians, four professional soloists -- soprano Tamara Matthews, bass- baritone Arthur Woodley, tenor John Tessier and counter-tenor David Hansen -- and world-renowned Maestro Alex Klein.

On Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 22 at 2 p.m., the Do-It-Yourself Messiah performances will begin. Audience members are invited to arrive 45 minutes early at the Civic Opera House, located at 20 North Wacker Drive. Seating is subject to capacity of the hall. For more information, visit http://www.lasallebank.com/messiah.

The Messiah

Composed in 1741 by George Frederic Handel, the Messiah is a large-scale piece for orchestra, chorus and soloists. Originally intended as an Easter oratorio, it has become more popularly associated with the Christmas holiday season.

A small church in rural England began the "do-it-yourself" part more than 30 years ago. Al Booth, founder of the International Music Foundation, was an early participant and brought the idea home to Chicago where he and Margaret Hillis, then director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, staged the first event in 1975.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 57 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,700 retail banking offices, more than 17,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 23 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 175 countries and has relationships with 99 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE:BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Source: Bank of America

CONTACT: Diane Wagner, Bank of America, +1-312-828-2932,
Diane.Wagner@bankofamerica.com

Web site: http://www.bankofamerica.com/
http://www.lasallebank.com/messiah

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Profile: International Entertainment