Handel and Haydn Society and Artistic Director Harry Christophers Announce 2013-­2014 Season

The Handel and Haydn Society (H&H) and Artistic Director Harry Christophers announce the 2013-2014 Season, its 199th since the founding of the ensemble in 1815, featuring the Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus performing works from the Baroque and Classical eras. The 2013-2014 Season continues H&H's exploration of historically significant works introduced and premiered in the US by the Handel and Haydn Society as part of the preparations for the Bicentennial celebrations in 2015. The cornerstone of the upcoming season is Handel's Samson, premiered in America by H&H in 1845.

"It gives me great pleasure that we have such a wealth of outstanding music to present next season. We will be stripping the cobwebs off some well-known masterpieces as well as introducing audiences to some works that deserve to be better known." - Harry Christophers

The season will showcase a wealth of established artists such as former Music Director Grant Llewellyn; frequent H&H guest conductor Richard Egarr, Music Director of the London-based Academy of Ancient Music; as well as exceptionally talented emerging artists. Trumpet virtuoso Alison Balsom will make her H&H debut, and H&H's fiery concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky will lead her fellow string players in a program inspired by Mendelssohn's library.

In addition to the regular season concerts, H&H will be working with Mark Morris Dance Group for the first time since 1996 in the Celebrity Series of Boston presentation of the new, fully-staged production of Mozart's arrangement of Handel's opera, Acis & Galatea, by director and choreographer Mark Morris and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Also on the calendar is the return in December of the Handel and Haydn Society Holiday Sing, a family-friendly celebration of holiday choral music that will feature H&H's professional chorus and its four children's choirs.

The Handel and Haydn Society continues to flourish under the leadership of Harry Christophers; it is continuing the expansion of its artistic education efforts, growing its Boston community partnerships, and broadening its audience development and outreach. Programs include chamber performances at regional museums and in underserved communities in New England; lectures and performances at various accessible venues in the Greater Boston area; classroom demonstrations, student coaching, and performances at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a conducting fellowship with the New England Conservatory's Master's program in Orchestral Conducting. The Karen S. and George D. Levy Educational Outreach Program brings a comprehensive music education program to students in grades 3 through 12 through four distinctive program components, including school visits, the Vocal Apprenticeship Program (encompassing the Singers, Youth Choir, Young Men's and Young Women's Choruses, and High School Soloists), Collaborative Youth Concerts, and masterclasses. The program brings Baroque and Classical music to well over 10,000 children each year in underserved communities in Greater Boston.