"This is our most popular concert, and early arrival is recommended." That's how Tampa Oratorio Singers describes its Messiah performances on its own schedule. Both of those nights take place at 3501 W San Jose St, the home of Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church.
Between now and mid-December, the church hosts five evenings of choral music. Three are on Sundays, and the other two are on a Monday and a Tuesday. On those same nights, the newest restaurant on S MacDill Ave does not serve dinner. A Palma Ceia concert night has to be planned around a short list of kitchens that are open on the evenings most of the week's dinner service skips.
Five Evenings, One Address
Tampa Oratorio Singers opens its season at Palma Ceia Presbyterian and comes back four more times before the holidays. Here is the full run, taken from the chorus's posted schedule.
| Date | Time | Program | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | 7 to 9 p.m. | Sing Hallelujah! | Ticketed through TOS |
| Sunday, Nov. 22 | 4 to 6 p.m. | Choral & Organ Festival with the Tampa chapter of the American Guild of Organists | No tickets, free-will offering |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | 7 to 9 p.m. | Carols of the Season | Ticketed through TOS |
| Monday, Dec. 14 | 7 p.m. | Handel's Messiah, Part I | No purchase required, free-will offering |
| Tuesday, Dec. 15 | 7 p.m. | Handel's Messiah, Part I | No purchase required, free-will offering |
The Nov. 8 program is the chorus's season opener. It is built around three settings of "Hallelujah": the Alleluia from Mozart's "Regina Coeli," the Hallelujah from Beethoven's "Christ on the Mount of Olives," and Randall Thompson's Hallelujah. A few more contemporary choral pieces round it out. A double string quartet accompanies the chorus, and the professional soprano soloist is Susan Hellman Spatafora.
On Nov. 22, TOS shares the program with local members of the Tampa chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Seating is general admission and no tickets are needed. The offering goes to the guild's student scholarship fund and to Tampa Oratorio Singers.
Carols of the Season on Dec. 6 is the lighter program, with classic carols, fireside pieces and sleigh bells. TOS sings the same program that afternoon at 3 p.m. at Pass-A-Grille Beach Community Church in St. Pete Beach. The 7 p.m. Palma Ceia performance is the one you can get to without crossing the bay.
The Messiah nights bring the most people into the sanctuary. TOS singers join the Palma Ceia Presbyterian Chancel Choir, along with a full orchestra and professional soloists. A string prelude plays before the start, and the audience joins in on "Joy to the World" at the end.
The New Bistro Keeps a Different Week
The newest restaurant in Palma Ceia's dining mix is Old Heights Bistro. It spent years at 4703 N Nebraska Ave in Seminole Heights. Creative Loafing Tampa reported in July that the bistro served its last meal there on July 25 and was moving into the former Brunchery space at 3225 S MacDill Ave.
The bistro's own site now lists Suite 109 at that address. Its menu covers breakfast, lunch and sushi. Its posted hours line up almost exactly opposite the concert calendar:
- Sunday: closed
- Monday and Tuesday: lunch only, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday through Saturday: lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner 6 to 9 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: weekend specials menu from 6 p.m. to close
None of the five concerts falls on a night the bistro serves dinner. On the Messiah days, the bistro still works as a midday stop, since lunch runs until 2:30 p.m. on both Monday and Tuesday. For an evening there, use the stretch between concerts. A Friday or Saturday in late November or early December gets you the weekend specials menu.
Who Is Cooking on Concert Nights
The places below post evening hours on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, all on S MacDill Ave or W Bay to Bay Blvd. Their closing times matter more than usual, because a 7 p.m. downbeat turns dinner into either an early meal or a late one.
Kelp Sushi Joint, 3401 W Bay to Bay Blvd, posts 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on all three nights. Its locations page makes it the most flexible choice, and it is one of two places on this list still serving after a 9 p.m. finish on Sunday.
Beef 'O' Brady's, 2819 S MacDill Ave, keeps the same 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, according to its Palma Ceia page. It is the other late option on a Sunday, and the casual family table for anyone bringing kids to Carols of the Season.
Cru Cellars, 2506 S MacDill Ave, is a wine bar and retail wine shop that also serves food. Its posted hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, 3 to 9 p.m. on Monday and 3 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday. That makes the second Messiah night the one where a glass after the concert is realistic.
Louis Pappas, 3409 W Bay to Bay Blvd, lists 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on its South Tampa page. It is a before-the-concert table. An 8 p.m. close means Greek food has to happen before 7 p.m.
Chill Bros Ice Cream, 3302 W Bay to Bay Blvd, posts noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday and noon to 9:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, per its South Tampa location page. The Sunday 7 p.m. programs are listed as ending at 9, which is Chill Bros' Sunday closing time. A Sunday cone fits better before the concert than after it.
The 4 p.m. Sunday That Opens the Whole Map
The Choral & Organ Festival on Nov. 22 is the only concert in the run where the timing works in the audience's favor. It starts at 4 p.m. and is listed to end at 6 p.m., so the evening is still open when you walk out.
On that Sunday evening, every spot above still has its kitchen or scoop counter open. Louis Pappas has two hours left before its 8 p.m. close, Cru Cellars runs until 9, Chill Bros stays open until 9, and Kelp and Beef 'O' Brady's both go until 10.
It is also the easiest concert to try without committing ahead of time. No tickets are required, seating is general admission, and the free-will offering goes partly to a student scholarship fund for organists. It falls the Sunday before Thanksgiving, which makes it a good outing with family who arrive early for the holiday.
Messiah Week Runs on Early Arrival
The two Messiah nights work differently from the rest of the season. There is nothing to buy, so seats go to whoever gets there first, and TOS calls this its most popular concert. The schedule lists no end time for either night. It does mention a string prelude before the music starts, so arriving early means you hear that too.
That changes dinner on a Monday or Tuesday in mid-December. An early table is the safer plan. Louis Pappas closes at 8, so it only works as a pre-concert meal. Kelp Sushi Joint and Beef 'O' Brady's both serve until 10 on those nights, which gives you room on either side of the performance. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, Cru Cellars stays open until 10, an hour later than on Monday.
If you would rather keep the evening for the music alone, Old Heights Bistro's posted Monday and Tuesday lunch hours, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., let you have a sit-down meal on S MacDill earlier in the day and then arrive at the church early.
The last thing on the program is "Joy to the World," sung by everyone in the room.
If this season's concert nights have you thinking about a home closer to San Jose Street, or about your plans for the one you already own, Bianca Lopez is glad to talk Palma Ceia with you before the holidays fill up. Request Exclusive Access, and we will set a time over coffee on Bay to Bay.
