Sam Hagan has built most of his East Lake house with his own hands, 20,000 bricks, one at a time.

The retired biology teacher has also built a second career as a classical vocalist, and has fans who wait each year to hear him sing the first words of the “Messiah.”

For 40 winters his thrilling tenor has ushered in the holiday season, with the words “ev’ry valley shall be exalted.” Hagan’s own life reflects those lines from Isaiah. He has been lifted from humble beginnings to become a fixture in Atlanta’s music community.

In myAJC.com see the story behind the man who, for many Atlantans, is the voice of Handel's "Messiah."

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Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC