Photos: Bringing Handel to the hearth
David Sandstrom snaps photos of musicians gathered to play Handel’s “Messiah” at the home of William and Judy Sloan. Dozens of amateur and professional singers and instrumentalists gather each year for the festive event. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Frank Fetta, music director and conductor of the Torrance Symphony, the Culver City Symphony Orchestra and other regional ensembles, leads musicians through Handel’s “Messiah.” He’s been conducting the Sloans’ event for six years. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Baritone Eric Castro warms up in the living room. A lawyer and professional singer, Castro didn’t mind performing on his day off: “To tell you the truth, its a complete pleasure and honor to do this.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
William Sloan, a urologist and an amateur violin-maker, warms up in his living room before the “show” starts. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Tenor H. Waring Sharpe sings an aria. The Messiah gathering started when the Sloans were living in Toronto, and was revived in L.A. in the 1990s. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Even the Sloans’ home has an illustrious musical past: It was once owned by Alexander Borisoff, the former principal cellist of the L.A. Philharmonic. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“This shows the great loyalty these musicians have to the Sloans and the great enjoyment musicians have doing this,” said Frank Farrar, who conducts the Sloans’ “Messiah” party. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
