Grace Anania, a sixth grader at Shady Side Academy Middle School, will perform in Handel's "Messiah" at Heinz Hall this weekend. The show is being presented as a contemporary opera with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. Only two children from over 100 members of the Children's Festival Chorus were selected to perform.

This is not Grace's first time appearing in a professional production. In April she performed as part of a selected group of 15 children in the Pittsburgh Opera's "Turandot."

The Children's Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh is one of the premier children's choral ensembles in the country. For 27 years it has provided choral education to children ages 8 to 15. Learn more at www.cfc-pgh.org.

"Messiah" tickets start at $20 and are available online or by calling 412-392-4900 for the Dec. 2, 3 and 4 shows at Heinz Hall.