Stephen Goist Named Principal Viola and Katherine Spencer Named Principal Clarinet
BOSTON | The Handel and Haydn Society and Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen are pleased to announce the appointments of Stephen Goist as principal viola and Katherine Spencer as principal clarinet beginning in the 2025-26 Season. The musicians were selected by Cohen and separate committees of H+H Orchestra members following a competitive audition process that drew a talented, international applicant pool.
As H+H’s principal violist Stephen Goist will occupy the chair endowed in perpetuity in memory of Estah & Robert Yens. Goist enjoys a varied career as an orchestral player, chamber musician, and historical performance specialist based in New York City and San Francisco. In addition to leading the viola section for H+H, he is a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, principal violist of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, principal violist of Teatro Nuovo, and an active performer in New York’s robust early music community. He has performed across the United States, Canada, Europe, India, and New Zealand, and has been a guest musician with many ensembles including Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, The English Concert, Bach Collegium Japan, the Charleston Symphony, and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Goist holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School.
In addition to her new appointment with H+H, Katherine ‘Waffy’ Spencer is principal clarinet of The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, Gabrieli Consort and Players, The Irish Chamber Orchestra, and the City of London Sinfonia. She has played for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and at a private performance for the Emperor of Japan. Spencer made her concerto debut at London’s Royal Festival Hall at age 14, and has played as a soloist in all of the UK’s major concert venues with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. A believer that music is for everyone, Spencer leads the education and outreach departments of several orchestras. She is a professor and head of early clarinet at The Royal Academy of Music. Spencer studied at Chethams School of Music (Manchester), The Royal Academy of Music (London), Hannover Hoschule für Musik, and is completing a doctorate at Stony Brook University, New York.
H+H Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen said, “I am thrilled to welcome Stephen Goist as principal viola and Katherine Spencer as principal clarinet. Both are exceptional musicians who share their passion for early music and period performance each time they play. I look forward to the talent, leadership, and energy they will bring to H+H.”
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society performs Baroque and Classical music with a freshness, a vitality, and a creativity that inspires all ages. Called “one of the most exciting ensembles of historically informed performances in the world” (OperaWire), H+H has been captivating audiences for 210 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States), speaking to its singular success at welcoming new audiences to this extraordinary music, generation after generation.
H+H performed the “Hallelujah” Chorus from Handel’s Messiah in its first concert in 1815, gave the American premiere in 1818, and ever since has been both a musical and a civic leader in the Boston community. During the Civil War, H+H gave numerous concerts in support of the Union Army (H+H member Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”) and on January 1, 1863, H+H performed at the Grand Jubilee Concert celebrating the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. Two years later, H+H performed at the memorial service for Abraham Lincoln.
H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 76,000 listeners annually through concerts at Symphony Hall and other leading venues as well as radio broadcasts. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Learning and 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 provides deeply discounted tickets and hosts special events for undergraduate and graduate students and concertgoers under 40 through the H+H Masterpass and H² membership programs. H+H has released 16 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 all of us with our shared humanity through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music.