“Lift up thy voice with strength”: HGO’s Glorious Messiah Soloists
Handel never specified how many soloists should perform Messiah. There were at least seven principals who sang in the 1742 Dublin premiere, but the composer changed the number and variety of voices for each subsequent revival. Today, the standard lineup is soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Get to know HGO’s quartet of Messiah vocalists, as well as one additional soloist Handel would never have expected—a dancer.
About: A soprano from China, Fang is a Mozart specialist whose voice has been described as “the sound of a seraph with the shimmer of a polished pearl.” She is making her HGO debut in Messiah.
Standout aria: “I know that my redeemer liveth”
Memorable moment: During “He shall feed his flock,” Fang pours a glass of water over her head.
About: Nussbaum Cohen is a countertenor—a man who sings in his falsetto register, often taking baroque roles written for castrati (male singers castrated before puberty). A Butler Studio alumnus, he starred as David in HGO’s 2019 production of Saul, another example of a staged Handel oratorio.
Standout aria: “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion”
Memorable moment: Nussbaum Cohen summons a pillar of smoke in “He was despised.”
About: Another leading interpreter of Mozart, Bliss first appeared at HGO in 2019 as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. This past November, he and Nicholas Newton performed Messiah in Boston together with HGO regular Lauren Snouffer.
Listen for: “Comfort ye”
Memorable moment: Bliss performs a vaudevillian dance routine to “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron.”
About: The Butler Studio alumnus appeared in three HGO world premieres. You can hear him as Henry on the company’s 2026 Grammy Award-winning recording of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence.
Standout aria: “The trumpet will sound”
Memorable moment: A little girl and a sentient hay bale romp around Newton during “But who may abide.
About: A Greek dancer and choreographer, Fousekis was a regular collaborator with Robert Wilson during the director’s final years. He was the soloist for this production of Messiah at its 2020 Salzburg premiere.
Memorable moment: Dressed as an astronaut, Fousekis spins in circles during the “Hallelujah” Chorus.
