Handel and Haydn Society

Causes: Arts & Culture, Arts Education, Music

Mission: The parallel missions of the Handel and Haydn Society are to perform Baroque and classical music at the highest levels of artistic achievement, and to share that music with as large and as diverse an audience as possible. From its earliest years the Society established its tradition of innovation, performing the American premieres of Handel's Messiah in 1818, Haydn's Creation in 1819, Verdi's Requiem in 1878, and Bach's B minor Mass in 1887. The Society began performing Handel's Messiah annually in 1854. Throughout its history the Handel and Haydn Society has brought the world's most beautiful music, and its greatest artists, to local audiences, setting a standard for orchestral and choral performances that remains unparalleled. Under the Artistic Direction of Christopher Hogwood from 1986 to 2001, the Society established its reputation as a leader in Historically Informed Performance, in which music is played using the instruments and performance techniques available to the composers in their day. This tradition continues with the appointment in 2000 of Grant Llewellyn as music director. This internationally acclaimed conductor brings impeccable musicianship and visionary leadership to the Orchestra and Chorus, considered among the finest ensembles of their kind in the United States. The Orchestra is made up of a core group of musicians in this country and abroad who are specially trained to play period instruments, and the fully professional Chorus stands alone as a virtuoso ensemble, featuring the voices of New England's most talented singers. While the Handel and Haydn Society's music is rooted in the past, its place in the musical present is vital and dynamic. The Massachusetts Cultural Council has praised the Society for its "vitality" and willingness to "take risks and explore new musical horizons."