Handel & Haydn Society Partners with GBH for the ‘Messiah’

By Logan Martell

The Handel and Haydn Society has announced that it will be partnering with broadcasting and production company GBH to stream “Handel’s ‘Messiah’ for Our Time.”

Premiering on GBH 2 on December 20, 2020, the performance will be available on YouTube, Facebook, Classical WCRB, and H+H’s website.

The work is a holiday tradition for the company running 167 years since it began in 1854, and has run through the Civil War, both World Wars, and the Pandemic of 1918.

The production went to great lengths to follow Massachusetts safety protocols, employing the use of robotic cameras and special singing masks for the chorus and soloists, who were tested for Covid twice before taping. Chorus and instrumentalists were kept in separate spaces, with all the recorded parts layered together.

“This year, we are facing a holiday season unlike any other we have seen in our lifetime. We were determined to find a way to bring Messiah to the community, to hold on to this tradition which has stood as a source of joy and comfort for so long,” said David Snead, president and CEO at the Handel and Haydn Society. “We are honored to work closely with GBH to ensure the continuity of this holiday tradition and to bring this gift to the community.”

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