Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society will continue its annual holiday tradition of presenting Handel’s beloved choral work “Messiah.” H + H gave the American premiere of “Messiah” in its entirety in 1818, and has showcased the “dazzling and joyous” work every year since 1854. The sixty-member professional Baroque chorus and period instrument orchestra will be joined by soprano Elizabeth Watts, {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society will opens its 205th season with A Mozart Celebration. The season will commence with a cherished selection of Mozart favorites, including “Eine kleine Nachtmusik,” Mass in C Minor, K.427, Great, Concert aria, “Nehmt meinen Dank, ihr holden Gonner!,” and Concert aria “Ah, lo previdi!” – “Ah t’invola” – “Deh, non varcar.” The concert will feature award-winning soprano Joelle Harvey, who will {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society will collaborate with Castle of Our Skins to present a free community concert, “Nigra Sum Sed Formosa: I Am Black But Beautiful.” According to the press release, the performance, directed by Reginald L. Mobley, Ashleigh Gordon, and Dr. Jennifer Kane, “will celebrate the breadth and depth of black artistry with powerful music from black composers across {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society will honor David Gergen for his significant contributions to the organization at the upcoming Society Ball Gala. Gergen is the Founding Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and serves as a senior political analyst at CNN. As an appreciator of the fine arts, he and his wife Anne Gergen {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society will conclude its 2018-19 season with a performance of Mozart’s final masterpiece, “Requiem.” The program is also set to include Mozart’s intensely emotional “Masonic Funeral Music,” Allegri’s “Miserere mei, Deus,” which “captures the profound sadness, weight and power of the Passion story,” and Bach’s motet “Singet dem Herrn.” Featured vocalists will include soprano Joelle Harvey, {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society is set to perform Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas.” The stage production will be directed by Aidan Lang, current general director of the Seattle Opera and future leader of the Welsh National Opera. Soprano Susan Bickley will perform the role of Dido, while baritone David McFerrin will take on the role of Aeneas. The cast is rounded {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society has announced its 2019-20 season, which will include a few vocal performances. In its 205th season, the organization will continue its mission to bring “Classical and Baroque music to life on period instruments in historically informed performances, showcasing the music the way the composer intended.” H+H will perform works of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, as well {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society has also announced that its Artistic Director, Harry Christophers, will be stepping down following the 2020-21 season. The search is on for a successor. His accomplishments with H+H are indeed many. Christophers hired more than 60 percent of the current roster of musicians, led H+H through its 2015 bicentennial, and has drawn much attention to {…}
