Artists

Biography:

The Handel and Haydn Society is a leader in historically informed performance, specializing in music for chorus and period orchestra from the Baroque and Classical eras. Each Handel and Haydn concert is distinguished by the use of instruments, techniques, and performance styles typical of the period in which the music was composed. Founded in 1815, the Society has a long tradition of musical excellence. In the nineteenth century, Handel and Haydn gave the American premieres of Handel’s Messiah (1818), which the Society has performed every year since 1854, Haydn’s The Creation (1819), Verdi’s Requiem (1878) and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (1889). Recent innovations have included collaborations with prominent jazz artists, a series of semi-staged operas, weekend-long festivals, and world and American premieres. The Society’s ambitious Educational Outreach Program brings the joy of classical music to more than 10,000 students each year in over 50 public schools throughout Massachusetts. Handel and Haydn received a 2002 Grammy Award for its recording of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations and Praises.