Soloists announced for Handel’s ‘Messiah’ in Ottawa

George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” will be performed at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, at St. Columba Church, 122 W. Washington St., Ottawa.

A small orchestra organized by Katie Roy will accompany a chorus of area singers and four soloists. Practice rehearsals have been accompanied by Betsy Mortenson.

Soloists will be soprano Kathy Schlachter Jagiella, alto Joylyn Ortiz, tenor Lloyd Chapman and bass Randy Mortenson.

Jagiella teaches elementary music at Peru Catholic School and voice and violin at Music Suite 408 in Peru. Her husband is Deacon Tom Jagiella. She has four adult children. She is the director of music at St. Joseph in Peru, a member of the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra and has a Bachelor of Music degree from Rice University.

Ortiz is a Northern Illinois University graduate from a musical family. As a child, she learned to sing from her mother and play her father’s bass viol. She studied choir under Roger Amm at Ottawa High School and developed a lifelong love of musical excellence.

She studies voice with Sharlene Bentley of Music Suite 408 in Peru. Ortiz became a worship music leader as a teenager, playing bass guitar at Crossbridge Church, then Ottawa First Church of the Nazarene. She later transitioned to a co-leader role with her husband, Brandon Ortiz, leading the worship team at Christ Community Church in Ottawa for many years.

She serves Christ Community as a vocalist and bassist.

Chapman is a graduate of OHS, where he found his love for choral music. He attended Concordia College of Moorhead, Minnesota, where he studied choral conducting under Paul J. Christiansen and voice.

After graduation, he taught elementary music. Following his teaching career, he returned to Ottawa to work in real estate and direct church choirs for the past 40 years. He is on staff at the First Presbyterian Church as the Westminster choir director.

Mortenson has served as pastor at Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church on Ottawa’s west side since February 2020. He is married to Betsy, and they have three children, Kyra, Colby and Trevor. Before living in Ottawa, the Mortensons lived in Mayville, North Dakota, for 13 years, which followed an eight-year stint in the Navy for Mortenson as a chaplain.

He has enjoyed singing in choirs and ensembles since fifth grade.