Connecting us all through Music

To "inspire the intellect, touch the heart, and connect us all with our shared humanity through music” has been a bellwether for H+H programming and community engagement since 1815. Today we live this mission through our people and our music across chorus, orchestra, audience, students, community, and staff. We understand that a commitment to inclusion takes steady attention, and resources – and we want to share our work toward this with you. Please see recent highlights below and link to our more detailed audit reports here.

FY23 H+H: Efforts for Inclusion FY22 H+H: Efforts for Inclusion

Baroque Christmas

An annual holiday tradition, infused with the vibrancy of the Latin American Baroque.

Baroque music traveled from its European roots to the Southern and Central Americas beginning in the 17^th century as a component of Spain and Portugal’s colonial reach. Once arrived, European Baroque styles were innovated and integrated with local culture and music elements to create new international music expressions that we can enjoy via the Baroque Christmas concert of H+H today.

Conductor Ruben Valenzuela, joining H+H at the podium for the first time with Baroque Christmas, is a conductor, keyboardist, and musicologist. Engaging with music of the Renaissance, early and high Baroque, early Classical period, as well as music of the twentieth century, Valenzuela has developed performance roots in Central and South America, touring to the Festival Internacional del Órgano Barroco in Mexico City and to the Festival Internacional de Música Renacentista y Barroca Misiones de Chiquito in Bolivia, among other performances. Holding a PhD in musicology from California’s Claremont Graduate University, the maestro conducted his doctoral research at Archivo del Cabildo of Mexico City Cathedral in the area of the basso continuo at Mexico City Cathedral (1650–1750). Valenzuela's musical interests are wide ranging to include a lifelong interest in Jamaican popular music of the late 1950s and 1960s, and in particular Blue Beat (Jamaican R&B), Ska, Rocksteady, and early Reggae.

Building an Inclusive Repertoire

Baroque and Classical music: always relevant.

We work to widen the audience and programming of Baroque and Classical music; to present it today in ways that gives meaning to people’s lives. We embrace our repertoire as relevant and joy making for all people, and we steadily explore opportunities to showcase Baroque and Classical music as rich and relevant. H+H’s world premiere of Crossing the Deep stands as an outstanding example of this commitment. The work, a moving juxtaposition of American Negro spirituals (1700s–1800s) and Handel's Chandos Anthems (1717–1719) was created by H+H’s Resident Conductor of the Chorus, Dr. Anthony Trecek-King, and Reginald Mobley, countertenor and H+H Program Consultant.

"[H+H] gave what may be one of the most important concerts in its illustrious history... Crossing the Deep, rife with physical and emotional metaphor, paired 9 of Handel’s Chandos Anthems with Negro Spirituals whose texts reflected on many of the same themes. The electrifying combination, as enlightening as it was unexpected, should dispel forever the notion that period music performed on period instruments is merely a museum outing."
— The Boston Musical Intelligencer (June 5, 2023)

Our Audience

Growing with our community.

We welcome everyone to join us to experience world-class Baroque and Classical music for the first or the thousandth time. Our efforts to extend our welcome to new audiences now includes a focused drive to link with New England area non-profits. Recent collaborations have brought groups including the Network of Arts Administrators of Color, DotHouse Health, and Leadership Brainery, Artists for Humanity and Embrace Boston. To bring your group to H+H, please contact Emily Reed, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, at ereed@handelandhaydn.org.

Stone Fellowships

Fostering the development of early-career, early music musicians.

Furthering H+H's vision for a more inclusive national HIP (historically informed performance) community of musicians, H+H launched the Stone Fellowships in 2022 in partnership with the New England Conservatory of Music.

Stone Fellows 2023–24 Season
Amelia Sie, based in New York City, is an adventurous performer of modern and Baroque violin specializing in Italian virtuoso music from the 17th-19th centuries as well as chamber music of the Classical to early Romantic eras. Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pájaro, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, is a community-based artist raised in a family of music lovers. Carmen began her musical studies with jam sessions in the living room and eventually found her way to the world of historical performance. Learn more about Amelia and Carmen here.

Youth Music Education

Children's lives are better with music.

What is it like to join the stage of Boston’s Symphony Hall to sing with the H+H Orchestra? Ask the singers in our H+H Youth Choruses who are invited to “step up” for that exciting and rare experience. Throughout the year, eight different ensembles welcome children for joyous singing and quality musical training. Our New Voices ensemble for 8 and 9 year olds is a beginning choral experience for children who share a desire to sing—watch them here. Specialized training for voice at different ages and abilities continues through the Ambassador Ensemble engaging high school students grades 7–12 in performing a diverse selection of music from the Baroque and Classical periods, along with spirituals, jazz, folk songs, a cappella, and contemporary choral repertoire. Scholarships are available: every child is welcome to apply. Find more information here.

Our People, Our Culture

Building a more diverse and inclusive H+H.

Providing diversity, inclusion, and equity in the management of H+H increases our capacity to draw and retain talent, reach our audience, and live our values. We continually invest in our culture—every year reviewing policies and practices, looking for chances to respond to concerns and/or build improvements that realize our mission for inclusion. For example, we gather all staff for learning sessions 3 times a year to build bonds and explore topics. We regularly review all People and Culture policies, and routinely survey staff to understand their situation and points of view. And we enjoy the music, and each other’s company, with regular soirées.