A season of glorious music begins in October!

The upcoming 2001-2002 season marks the beginning of an exciting musical era for the Handel and Haydn Society as the dynamic young conductor Grant Llewellyn takes the helm of America’s oldest continuously performing arts organization. Handel and Haydn continues the tradition of Historically Informed Performances (HIP!), with concerts performed on the instruments and in the style in which the music was written. Next season also provides a fresh look at music by Handel, Haydn, Bach, Mozart, Charpentier, and various composers from the Italian Baroque.

A magnificent roster of guest conductors includes Conductor Laureate Christopher Hogwood, Associate Conductor John Finney, and Chanticleer Music Director Joseph Jennings. States Music Director Grant Llewellyn, "I’ve selected repertoire that displays the the Society Chorus and Orchestra at its finest, with music ranging from Haydn’s The Creation and Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, to Baroque concertos and virtuoso motets by J.S. Bach. I look forward to working with this tremendously talented and hard-working group of musicians as we embark on a new journey together."

To open his inaugural season as Music Director, Grant Llewellyn conducts Haydn’s magnificent oratorio in celebration of a new beginning for himself and Handel and Haydn. The Creation employs vivid texts and musical imagery to depict the wonders of the creation, from the impressive "And there was light" to the glimpses of the leaping tiger and the creeping worm. Featured soloists for this program include soprano Dominique Labelle, tenor Richard Clement, and bass Neal Davies.

Handel and Haydn Celebrates the Holidays

The Handel and Haydn Society presents its 148th annual performances of Handel’s Messiah on December 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 at Symphony Hall with Grant Llewellyn. Soprano Nancy Argenta, countertenor Brian Asawa, tenor Finnur Bjarnason, and baritone Stephen Powell appear as soloists. Over one million Bostonians have heard the Society perform Messiah with such luminaries as Placido Domingo, Arthur Fiedler, and even Julia Ward Howe, the composer of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Melrose resident and Handel and Haydn subscriber Marianne Norman hasn’t missed a performance of Messiah since 1969.

"It doesn’t seem like the holiday season without Messiah," she says. "I always find it enjoyable because Handel and Haydn has performed many different versions of the work over the years."

To celebrate the season in a more intimate setting, the Society presents "A Baroque Christmas" at New England Conservatory’s (NEC) Jordan Hall on Sunday, December 16 and Friday, December 21. Associate Conductor John Finney takes the baton in this program of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Midnight Mass for Christmas and festive choral works by early English composers.

Jazz/Classical: Improvisations

This season’s jazz program on January 18 and 20, 2002 at Symphony Hall showcases Wayne Marshall and Robert Levin, two virtuoso pianists whose amazing ability to improvise in a variety of musical styles will take them from the classical era to the world of jazz. The pair will also play a Mozart concerto for two pianos.

Mozart Symphonies

On February 8, 9, and 10 at Symphony Hall, Llewellyn conducts "Mozart’s Final Symphonies." The Handel and Haydn Society performs Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K.385 “Haffner”, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K.550, and Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K.551 “Jupiter”. Llewellyn recounts his personal connection to the "Haffner" Symphony.

"The first orchestra I ever founded, at the Royal College of Music, London, was called the Haffner Orchestra, which took its name from Mozart’s "Haffner" Symphony because that music epitomizes the spirit and verve I feel is crucial to the art of orchestral playing," Llewellyn says. “I again use it, but this time as a springboard into the world of Mozart’s two last and greatest symphonies.”

Ancient and Modern

Following its tradition of presenting the old alongside the new, Handel and Haydn brings "Ancient and Modern" to NEC’s Jordan Hall on Friday, February 22 and Sunday, February 24 at Old South Church in Boston. Led by Llewellyn, the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra and Chorus perform two Bach motets (“Komm, Jesu, komm!” and “Jesu Meine Freude”) and works by Harrison Birtwistle and Steven Stucky that were inspired by Bach’s music.

Handel and Haydn Joins Chanticleer

Members of the Society Orchestra join the San Francisco-based vocal ensemble Chanticleer in giving the Boston premiere of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations and Praises on Friday, March 22 and Sunday, March 24 at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. Chanticleer Music Director Joseph Jennings leads these concerts, which will be co-presented with the FleetBoston Celebrity Series.

Co-commissioned by the Society, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Chanticleer, Tavener’s piece takes as its text the Orthodox Service of the “Burial of Our Lord on Good Friday,” in the composer’s own translation. Lamentations and Praises features the 12 male voices of Chanticleer, string quintet, flute, trombone, and an evocative collection of percussion instruments. The work’s world premiere performance and recording take place in San Francisco in September.

Baroque Concertos

Llewellyn leads principal players from the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra in a concert displaying their virtuosity on Friday, April 5 (Jordan Hall) and Sunday, April 7 (Sanders Theatre). "Baroque Concertos" features a wide selection of works from such composers as Corelli, Scarlatti, Handel, and Vivaldi.

Hogwood Returns!

Conductor Laureate Christopher Hogwood returns to lead the Society on Friday, April 19 and Sunday, April 21 at Symphony Hall in Handel’s Ariodante. A story of tumultuous passion, treachery, and the ultimate triumph of love, Ariodante will be semi-staged and sung in Italian with English supertitles. Its cast includes soprano Christine Brandes and tenor John McVeigh.

Handel and Haydn Society subscriber Mary Nada looks forward to seeing Ariodante and remembers a performance of Handel’s opera Semele two years ago: "The performance was one I’ll never forget; out of this world. Chris Hogwood’s interpretation was deeply moving and the music was simply gorgeous. I was also impressed with how they used Symphony Hall for the staging—amazing!"

Vocal Apprenticeship Program Inspires Young Singers

For Kristin Cusack, the Handel and Haydn Society’s Vocal Apprenticeship Program (VAP) was about more than just singing lessons.

"Literally and figuratively, my participation in VAP has given me my voice," says Cusack of West Roxbury, who graduated from the program this year. "When other aspects of my life were not going well, I always had my music. It gave me confidence and, at times, hope. While I am eagerly anticipating my college experience, the excitement is tempered by my knowledge that my time with the VAP is ending."

The Vocal Apprenticeship Program was developed in 1994 as part of the Society’s Educational Outreach Program. This education program annually serves more than 10,000 school children ages eight to 18 in 45 public schools throughout Massachusetts. It is one of the most extensive educational outreach programs of any chorus and period orchestra in the United States.

VAP seeks to address the loss of public school music education and to identify talented young singers who might not otherwise have the opportunity to sing. The Vocal Apprenticeship Program’s innovative approach involves collaborating with school music programs to work with these youngsters.

SongAnh Nguyen of Hyde Park, who also graduated from VAP this year, remembers her progression in the program.

"I started my journey in classical vocal training when I was an eighth grader in the Society’s Youth Chorus," Nguyen says. "After a year, I joined the Handel and Haydn Society Treble Ensemble where the environment was extremely nurturing and comfortable."

The Vocal Apprenticeship Program has four components: the High School Soloists Program, the Handel and Haydn Society Treble Ensemble (female high school students), the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Chorus (students ages eight to 13), and the Handel and Haydn Singers (a preparatory chorus for children ages eight to 11).

Matthew Garrett is Director of the Handel and Haydn Society Singers and Youth Chorus. Sandra Eddy, regional winner of the 2000 Metropolitan Opera Auditions, leads the Treble Ensemble.

Students in the younger VAP choirs receive sight singing instruction at Boston Conservatory. High school apprentices receive private voice, music theory, and ensemble singing lessons at New England Conservatory.

For students in need, Handel and Haydn provides scholarships for music classes and private lessons at New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, and Community Music Center of Boston.

"The VAP Scholarship has allowed me to continue vocal lessons regardless of financial need," says Kira Powell of Dorchester, another graduating VAP senior. "I have developed an unbelievable determination to succeed in the field of music because of my experience in VAP."

Nguyen feels the same way.

"I never knew my potential, but after years of support and funding from VAP I know that I must continue vocal studies and complete the opportunity that has been generously given to me."

Perhaps Kristin Cusack sums it up best.

"I will always be grateful for this experience," she says.

Christopher Hogwood HIP Fellowship

The Handel and Haydn Society is pleased to announce the creation of the Christopher Hogwood HIP Fellowship, an award to be given out annually to a scholar chosen by a Handel and Haydn panel.

The Society unveiled the fellowship on April 19, 2001 as part of a special tribute concert at Emmanuel Church honoring former Artistic Director Hogwood and his accomplishments with the Handel and Haydn Society. Hogwood has been a leader in the Historically Informed Performance (HIP) movement, in which music is played on the instruments and with the styles and techniques available to the composers in their time.

"The HIP Fellow will continue the tradition of scholarship introduced by Mr. Hogwood and will also form a bridge between new Music Director Grant Llewellyn and the world of historically informed performance," says Handel and Haydn Society Executive Director Mary Deissler. "The recipient will lecture before Handel and Haydn audiences, host chat rooms on the Society’s web site, research and write program notes, and be available to Mr. Llewellyn for advice on performance practice."

The HIP Fellow will be chosen by a panel consisting of Hogwood, Llewellyn, and others. Hogwood concluded his 15-year tenure as Artistic Director this past season and now assumes the role of the Society’s Conductor Laureate.

C.P.E. Bach Rediscovered

Handel and Haydn made musical history in March with the first performance in over 200 years of C.P.E. Bach’s Hymn of Thanks and Friendship. The work was among the holdings of the Berlin Sing-Akademie and had been presumed lost during World War II. In 1999, the collection was rediscovered in Kiev by a team of scholars from Harvard University, lead by Christoph Wolff and Patricia Grimsted. Following the concert on March 23, dignitaries, scholars, and musicians met for a reception in Horticultural Hall.

Grant Llewellyn Conducts at Spoleto and Round Top Festivals

Music Director Grant Llewellyn recently led performances of the Baroque opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell at the prestigious Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Forthcoming engagements this summer include the Round Top Festival in Texas, performances with the San Antonio Symphony at the historic Majestic Theatre, and television broadcasts, concerts, and recordings with the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, for which he serves as Conductor in Residence.

Summer Engagements Abound for Christopher Hogwood

Conductor Laureate Christopher Hogwood begins a full summer of activities on June 7 when he embarks on a 7-city tour of Japan and Korea with the Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) performing symphonies of Mozart. Later in the month he presides over the National Symphony Orchestra’s annual Mozart Summer Festival in Washington. In August he leads the AAM from the harpsichord in performances of Vivaldi’s L’Estro Armonico as part of a concert tour of England, Holland, Lichtenstein, Spain, France, and Croatia.

New Organ Built for Handel and Haydn

The Handel and Haydn Society is the proud owner of a new continuo organ custom built for the Society by the renowned Dutch organ builder Gerrit Klop. The instrument will primarily be used for continuo parts in Baroque music, as well as sacred pieces of the classical period.

Funding was generously provided by Sun Life of Canada, Alan Kay, the late Lee C. Bradley III, and a $25,000 matching challenge grant from an anonymous donor.

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