SC State Concert Choir to present star-studded 'Messiah' performance on Nov. 19
Author: Sam Watson, Executive Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing|Published: November 06, 2025|All News, Student News
Brandie Inez Sutton, Dr. Johnnie Felder, LaDejia T. Douglas, and Dr. Ramelle BrooksRenowned Metropolitan Opera soprano Brandie Inez Sutto will lead the cadre of singers
in Handel’s most celebrated oratorio.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- The South Carolina State University Concert Choir will present its final performance
of the 2025 season with the Christmas portion of Handel’s “Messiah.”
The Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Johnnie J. Felder, will be joined by a quartet of outstanding
soloists, a 20-piece orchestra, and guest conductor Christopher Leysath for Handel’s
most celebrated work.
The performance will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the recently
renovated Dr. Barbara A. Vaughan Recital Hall in the SC State Fine Arts Building.
The SC State community will welcome internationally acclaimed operatic sensation Brandie
Inez Sutton of the New York Metropolitan Opera as soprano soloist. Hailed by Opera
News for her “sumptuous, mid-weight soprano,” and by the New York Times for her “warm,
ample voice,” “ravishing performance” and “distinctive earthy coloring,” Sutton is
one of the classical music world’s most impressive new stars.
Felder, a tenor, LaDejia T. Douglas, an alto from Savannah, Georgia, and Dr. Ramelle
Brooks, a bass who serves on the SC State faculty, will complete the quartet of soloists.
The Concert Choir will also be joined by members of the Southwest Charlotte STEM Academy
Choir from Charlotte, North Carolina, under the direction of Shontovia Capers, to
usher in the sounds of the holiday season.
Student tickets are $10 (with a valid current ID), and adult tickets are $20 per person.
Proceeds from the event will directly support the SC State Concert Choir’s travel
to New York City’s Carnegie Hall on June 11-15, 2026.
Tickets may be purchased through a secure Eventbrite link listed below or at the door
via cash and/or electronic payments:
