The Kalamazoo Oratorio Society was founded in 1955 by a group of individuals who were interested in bringing the message of Christmas to life through an inspiring oratorio performance of George Frederick Handel’s Messiah. The Society’s annual performance began a tradition that would grow to become one of the area’s largest non-professional arts organizations. In the 1960s, the Society added a spring performance of other major oratorios that steadily developed its national and international reputation.