LEWISTON – This Christmas, the Maine Music Society will host two “Messiahs.”

The first will be a performance Sunday at the Franco-American Heritage Center at St. Mary’s in Lewiston, where Handel’s “Messiah” will be presented by the Maine Chamber Ensemble and the Androscoggin Chorale.

The second will be a Dec. 17 singalong “Messiah” at St. Joseph’s Church, joined by the chorale and the Androscoggin Valley Community Orchestra.

The source material may be the same, but the events will be very different, said Peter Frewen, the society’s artistic director.

The first is meant to leave the audience awestruck, he said, overcome by the power and effect of the composition first performed in Dublin in 1742. The second will be a more informal and communal experience, aimed at integrating the performers and the audience. Songbooks will be handed out and the musicians will accompany the singing.

However, this is no “Frosty the Snowman.” The 18th-century composition, filled with “glories” and “hallelujahs,” is spectacle music.

“There are people who know every note,” Frewen said. The composition has become classical music’s “A Christmas Carol.” Even people who are unfamiliar with the title typically recall its sound, especially its “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Both performances have become traditions in Lewiston-Auburn.

The concert by the Maine Chamber Ensemble and the Androscoggin Chorale began as a regular event at Saints Peter and Paul Church. When the Ash Street church was undergoing renovations, the concert moved to the Franco-American Heritage Center. The concert was the first at St. Mary’s since its takeover from the region’s Roman Catholic diocese.

“We played here before any of the changes were made to the stage or the seating,” said Frewen. “Immediately, we realized it was perfect.”

The singalong has similarly gone on for years, cordially celebrating the holiday. Unlike the formal concerts, which cost $15 per seat for advanced tickets, the singalong costs only $5. This hourlong event will be interrupted by an intermission so people can eat cookies and drink hot cider.