[Boston, MA – December 20, 2021] Musical America has selected Handel and Haydn Society President and CEO David Snead as one of the top professionals working in the Performing Arts. David was one of 30 industry leaders to be honored for their work navigating through and out of Covid-19.
David led H+H during the pandemic, ensuring the H+H’s annual performance of Messiah continued despite a state ban on choral performances. The organization also streamed 16 free concerts during this time and had a triumphant return to live performances with a free concert in August.
David and H+H partnered with nationally recognized PBS station GBH in December 2020 to record Messiah under public health protocols. All performers were masked and separated into small groups. The performances were then edited together to create “Messiah for Our Time,” a television special which drew more than 160,000 broadcast and streaming views.
“The society has performed Messiah every year since 1854, and we didn’t want to stop that,” said Snead. “Messiah for Our Time allowed us to showcase our orchestra and chorus before a national audience and be a community resource for so many struggling with the pandemic.”
Musical America also recognized Snead for his work to bring H+H back to performing in front of live audiences. Marin Alsop led the H+H Orchestra and Chorus presenting a free concert at Boston’s Hatch Memorial Shell in front of over 10,000 people in August 2021. H+H performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which included a world premiere of former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith’s new text for “Ode to Joy.” This was the first live performance in almost 18 months.
Snead joined the Handel and Haydn Society in 2015, having previously served as VP of Marketing at the New York Philharmonic.
Musical America Worldwide is one of the top publications for the performing arts industry. The publication reaches more than 14,000 performing arts organizations and 24,000 musicians and professionals in more than 95 countries.
H+H’s 2021-22 Season Performances include:
Beethoven Symphony No. 7 – January 7 + 9 at Symphony Hall
Haydn + Mozart – January 28 + 30 at Symphony Hall
Bach Brandenburg Concertos – February 4 + 5 + 6 at NEC’s Jordan Hall
Bach + Vivaldi Gloria – April 1 + 3 at Symphony Hall
Haydn The Creation – April 29 + May 1 at Symphony Hall
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society is dedicated to performing Baroque and Classical music with a freshness, a vitality, and a creativity that inspires all ages. H+H has been captivating audiences for 207 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States) speaking to its singular success at converting new audiences to this extraordinary music, generation after generation. Today, H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 50,000 listeners annually with a nine-week subscription series at Boston Symphony Hall and other leading venues. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Education Program, H+H supports seven youth choirs of singers in grades 2-12 and provides thousands of complimentary tickets to students and communities throughout Boston, ensuring the joy of music is accessible to all. H+H’s numerous free community concerts include an annual commemoration of the original 1863 Emancipation Proclamation concert on December 31. The artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society is Harry Christophers. Under Christophers’s leadership, H+H has released 15 CDs on the Coro label and has toured nationally and internationally. In all these ways, H+H fulfills its mission to inspire the intellect, touch the heart, elevate the soul, and connect us with our shared humanity through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music.