Two Messiahs (one a sing-along) and Bus Poets Read from the New Floating Bridge Press Anthology

Classical

Two Messiahs

Though not quite as malleable as The Nutcracker (coming up soon are a burlesque Nutcracker and a Hanukkah musical cribbing Tchaikovsky's tunes), Handel's Messiah offers a few interpretive options, from Orchestra Seattle's period-correct version last weekend to what will surely be a luxuriously upholstered rendition from the Seattle Symphony opening Dec. 14. This weekend, the Seattle Choral Company presents a meeting of two minds in Mozart's reworking of Messiah: In a time when baroque music had become unfashionable, Mozart helped resurrect the piece by dropping a few numbers and adding winds to the orchestra. Or, release your inner diva in a sing- and play-along Messiah led by Janice Gockel. No soloists; the chorus will all join together on the arias, which will be a workout. Seattle Choral Company: Meany Hall, UW campus, 800- 838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com, www.seattlechoralcompany.org. $10–$30. 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 9; 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 10. Messiah Sing-Along: St. John United Lutheran Church, 5515 Phinney Ave. N., 526-8443, www.mcnw.org. Donation. 6:30 p.m. GAVIN BORCHERT

Literary

Poetry on Buses

Since 1992, the Poetry on Buses program, a joint project of 4Culture and Metro Transit, has filled buses with poetic musings from 8-year-olds, creative-writing grad students, and many bards in between. According to 4Culture's Heather Dwyer, the organization wasn't able to finance the program in 2006, but a 2007 revival is in the works, with a call for entries to hit buses this winter. Meanwhile, Seattle's Floating Bridge Press has published Poetry on Wheels: An Anthology of King County's Poetry on Buses Program 1997–2005, with work by more than 100 local bus poets. Several dozen of them will gather Sunday to read their brief works (none exceeds 50 words) and bathe in their newfound fame. In her introduction to the anthology, Floating Bridge's Kissley Leonor mentions a poet especially dear to the Weekly: Bryson Good, whose haikuesque "Ice Cream" ("I lost a soft ice cream cone out a window/It maybe flew in the dirt/And I am still waiting for summer") won him recognition in our 2003 Best of Seattle issue. No guarantees, but we hope he'll show on Sunday. Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636. Free. 2 p.m. NEAL SCHINDLER