Blinn choirs, orchestra to perform 'Elijah' on Tuesday, May 5

Oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn will be staged at O’Donnell Center

April 28, 2026

The Blinn College District choirs, joined by a 25-piece orchestra, will present Felix Mendelssohn’s epic oratorio “Elijah” on Tuesday, May 5.

The free performance will begin at 7 p.m. in the Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center at 600 Blinn Boulevard on the Brenham Campus. The concert will be conducted by Dr. Larry Smith, Blinn Choral Director, and livestreamed on the Blinn College Music YouTube Channel.

Smith said “Elijah” is “a monumental musical drama.”

“Elijah is a major figure in both Jewish and Christian history and teaching,” he said. “Felix Mendelssohn was born into a Jewish family that was well-known throughout Europe. His family converted to Christianity before his birth, and he was baptized into the Lutheran church, but his Jewish ancestry and knowledge certainly played a role in choosing the topic of Elijah for this oratorio.”

One of the final works Mendelssohn completed, “Elijah” premiered in Birmingham in 1846. Mendelssohn died the following year at age 38.

The story of Elijah is taken from I Kings 17-19 and II Kings 1-2. Elijah, an Old Testament prophet, also figured prominently in the New Testament.

“It ranks just behind Handel's ‘Messiah’ in the ranks of great oratorios, and at its premiere, the English audience and critics hailed it as a triumph,” Smith said. “The Times of London critic even described it as ‘one of the most extraordinary achievements of human intelligence’ – a properly dramatic appraisal for a properly dramatic work.”

The Blinn College District Music Department offers small classes, one-on-one attention, practical learning, and accessible faculty, ensuring students are actively engaged in a superior learning environment. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/music.