Prophecy has it the Messiah will return to Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck on Sunday.

Look not for swaddling clothes nor crown of thorns, but a mighty choir.

The first section of Handel's traditional oratorio, "Messiah," will be performed for the 74th consecutive year. One hundred singers and an orchestra, directed by David Fandrich, will begin their work at 7:30 p.m.

Handel's three-act opus was first performed just after Easter in Dublin in 1742. But the first, Christmas-oriented, section has become a holiday staple. It tells of the prophecy that the Messiah will come and be born of a virgin, and ends with the familiar Christmas story as told in the New Testament Gospel of Luke.

It wraps with the popular Hallelujah Chorus, where it's become traditional for the audience to stand.

In all, it's a taxing work that requires two months of rehearsal. But Fandrich was blessed on two fronts that way this year. First, there were a lot of returning singers.

"That was really wonderful," the five-time "Messiah" director said. "Something amazing happened this year that has never happened before. We opened up the books in October and it was like we picked up where we left off last year. That allowed us to delve into expressiveness and articulation much further than we have in the past."

The other blessing was an infusion of young talent and enthusiasm. Forty of the 100 singers this year are students at St. Mary's Central High School. Vicky Boechler, a "Messiah" veteran and St. Mary's choir teacher, introduced some of her students to Handel's music this year. Many, Fandrich said, hadn't heard that kind of music before.

They dug it. And that will pay off for the "Messiah" audience.

"The students were exposed to a new musical thing that happened to be very old," Fandrich said. You can hear a difference in the sound of the choir. There's a brightness, a freshness of sound that will be very noticeable to the audience."

Boechler and Fandrich will be co-conductors, a first for the production. It will also be the first time Trinity has had a female conductor for the "Messiah."

Soloists for this year's presentation are soprano Anna Ward, alto Natascha Bach, tenor Daniel Walstad and bass Justin Binek.

Tickets for the presentation are $5 for adults, $3 for students and are available at Eckroth Music and Herberger's and at the door.

(Reach Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tspilde@ndonline.com.)