(Credit: Elliot Mandel)

Chicago-based Music of the Baroque has announced two unique holiday programs.

First up will be “A Thanksgiving Messiah” starring Sherezade Panthaki, Allyson McHardy, Richard Croft, and Matthew Brook.

“What better way to celebrate the return to normality in the company of Music of the Baroque than with Handel’s ‘Messiah’?” stated Nicholas Kraemer, who will conduct the performance, the first time that the ensemble takes on the iconic work in a decade. “I am looking forward to presenting this masterpiece with its message of hope and redemption. ‘Messiah’ is so well-known, yet it still manages to reveal hidden moments of pure genius that I, for one, am still discovering after many years of performances.”

The performance is set for Nov. 28 and 29 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie and Harris Theater.

That showcase will be followed up by “Holiday Brass & Choral Concerts” on Dec. 16 -18 at the Grace Lutheran Church, St. Michael Church, and Alice Millar Chapel-Northwestern University. This series of concerts will be conducted by Andrew Megill in his company debut.