March 24, 1815 The Handel and Haydn Society is founded “to promote the love of good music and a better performance of it.”
December 25, 1815 First public performance at King’s Chapel in Boston.
February 9, 1816 Incorporated by a Special Act of the General Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
July 5, 1817 The H&H Chorus performs for President James Monroe (President Monroe’s March commissioned for the occasion).
December 25, 1818 First complete performance of Handel’s Messiah in America.
February 16, 1819 First complete performance of Haydn’s The Creation in America.
1821 Publication of the first Handel and Haydn Society music collection.
1823 H&H requests a new work from Ludwig van Beethoven, who died before fulfilling the commission.
August 2, 1826 The H&H Chorus performs at memorial services for John Adams and Thomas Jefferson held in Boston’s Faneuil Hall.
September 3, 1827 Lowell Mason, noted music educator and editor, elected President of H&H.
January 26, 1845 First American performance of Handel’s Samson.
November 20, 1852 The Society Chorus performs for the dedication of Boston Music Hall, then the finest concert hall in America.
February 5, 1853 First Boston performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
January 18, 1857 First complete Boston performance of Mozart’s Requiem.
January 1, 1863 The H&H Chorus performs for the Emancipation Proclamation celebration. Julia Ward Howe, composer of Battle Hymn of the Republic, joins the Chorus in 1865.
June 1, 1865 Performance at the memorial services for President Lincoln.
April 11, 1879 First complete American performance of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
October 21, 1900 First Handel and Haydn Society concert in Boston’s new Symphony Hall.
April 29, 1945 The H&H Chorus performs at the memorial services for President Roosevelt at Symphony Hall.
October 29, 1955 H&H releases its first commercial recording, Handel’s Messiah.
December 1963 H&H presents the first complete televised performance of Messiah for National Educational Television.
1967 Newly appointed Music Director Thomas Dunn shifts H&H’s focus from exclusively choral music to early and contemporary choral and instrumental music. In 1972 Dunn integrates the concept of Historically Informed Performance by reducing the chorus size for Messiah to 30 singers.
1985 Educational Outreach Program established.
June 30, 1986 Christopher Hogwood’s appointment as Artistic Director marks the beginning of the Orchestra’s transition to period instruments.
July 1, 2001 Grant Llewellyn becomes Music Director. Christopher Hogwood named Conductor Laureate.
July 2006 Sir Roger Norrington becomes Artistic Advisor.
October 2009 Harry Christophers begins his tenure as Artistic Director.
Bicentennial: 2015
The 2015 H&H Bicentennial will be a celebration of the people of Boston—a reflection upon 200 years of musical innovation and education that embodies the cultural heritage of the city. H&H has a rich history of introducing great works of music to America and has been an integral part of many moments in US history.
From the US premiere of Handel’s Messiah in 1818 to a performance at President Lincoln’s memorial service in 1865, to the creation of its education program in 1985, H&H has consistently made significant contributions to the American performance tradition.
Bicentennial festivities will commence with the opening of the 2014–2015 Season and will close with Messiah in December 2015. Throughout the year, H&H will showcase the rich history and vibrant future of the institution through exhibits, lectures, free concerts, and more.
