(Boston July 27, 2021) The Handel and Haydn Society will celebrate the return of the Boston arts scene with a free concert at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreations Memorial Hatch Shell on August 27, 2021, at 7:00 PM. The rain date will be August 28, 2021, at 7:00 PM at the Hatch Shell. Continuing to bring live performances to iconic venues in its 2021-22 season, the Handel and Haydn Orchestra and Chorus will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, renowned for its famed “Ode to Joy” finale.
“For the past sixteen months, we have not been able to do what arts organizations do best – bring people together around a common experience, one they can appreciate as an individual but also an experience they can revel in, share with one another, debate about and be inspired by,” said David Snead, president and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society. “On August 27th, we want to make up for the time we’ve lost, bringing the Boston community together to celebrate the return of live performing arts to Boston.”
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is a choral symphony, taking its words from “Ode to Joy,” a poem written by Friedrich Schiller. Widely regarded as Beethoven’s transcendent masterpiece, it will feature four vocal soloists along with the H+H Chorus and members of the H+H Youth Choruses. One of the most frequently performed symphonies in the world, Beethoven’s Ninth was memorably performed by the Handel and Haydn Society in a free concert in Copley Square in 2015, celebrating the organization’s bicentennial. H+H also performed the Boston premiere of the work in 1853.
“There is a feeling created when we experience something joyous together. We believe there is no better piece for this occasion, for this moment in our history, than ‘Ode to Joy’,” continued Snead. “We want to extend an invitation to all of Boston to join us in this celebration and return to creating the sense of community that the arts can bring to us.”
Media sponsors for the performance include The Boston Globe and CRB.
The Handel and Haydn Society is committed to the health and safety of our musicians and audiences. H+H will follow all health guidelines put forth by the local health department.
In addition to the concert on August 27th, The Handel and Haydn Society’s 2021–22 Season Performances will include:
Vivaldi The Four Seasons, October 8 + 10, 2021 at Symphony Hall
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Pastoral, November 5 + 7, 2021 at Symphony Hall
Handel Messiah, November 26 + 27 + 28, 2021 at Symphony Hall
Bach Christmas, December 3, 2021, at St. Cecilia Parish + December 5, 2021, at First Church Cambridge
Beethoven Symphony No. 7, January 7 + 9, 2022 at Symphony Hall
Haydn + Mozart, January 28 + 30, 2022 at Symphony Hall
Bach + Vivaldi Gloria, April 1 + 3, 2022 at Symphony Hall
Haydn The Creation, April 29 + May 1, 2022, at Symphony Hall
Subscription packages are now available with great savings and may be purchased by calling 617-266-3605 or visiting www.handelandhaydn.org. Subscribers will receive the benefit of access to H+H’s digital streaming season. Single tickets will go on sale in August 2021.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s 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 206 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States). 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.
