Handel and Haydn Society makes debut at BBC Proms in London on July 23, 2007

Artistic Advisor Sir Roger Norrington leads the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus and Period-Instrument Orchestra in Haydn's oratorio The Seasons.

BOSTON, MA: The Handel and Haydn Society makes its London and BBC Proms debuts on Monday, July 23, 2007, with Haydn's oratorio The Seasons, the composer's portrayal of the four seasons. Artistic Advisor Sir Roger Norrington leads the Chorus, Orchestra, and soloists in Royal Albert Hall. Sung in German, The Seasons includes musical descriptions of a hunt, a crashing thunderstorm, a striking sunrise, and a wine celebration. Soloists are Sally Matthews, soprano (Jane), James Gilchrist, tenor (Lucas), and Jonathan Lemalu, bass-baritone (Simon). Handel and Haydn Society closed its 2006-2007 subscription season with The Seasons at Boston 's Symphony Hall on April 13 and 15, 2007.

Considered one of the world's most prestigious music festivals, the 2007 Proms features over 90 concerts from July 13 to September 8, 2007. This year's programs highlight prominent artists from throughout the globe, including leading performers and ensembles from the United Kingdom, as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Concerts are broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and streamed via the BBC web site for up to seven days. For more information about this summer's festival please visit www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2007.

A native of Oxford, England, Sir Roger Norrington broke new ground in early music when he founded the Schütz Choir in 1962 and the London Classical Players in 1978. Mr. Norrington's work on scores, sound, orchestra size, seating, and playing style has had a profound effect on the way 18th and 19th century music is perceived. Renowned for his interpretations of music by Haydn, he is in great demand by symphony orchestras worldwide and conducts regularly in Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Chicago, and London. Since 1998 Norrington has been Chief Conductor of the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart.

The Handel and Haydn Society, known for historically informed performance using instruments and techniques available to composers in their day, specializes in works for chorus and orchestra composed in the Baroque and Classical eras. Its innovative artistic leadership team includes Artistic Advisor Sir Roger Norrington, Principal Conductor Grant Llewellyn, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Hogwood. Recent seasons have featured a series of staged operas, including Monteverdi's Orfeo, co-produced in 2006 with the English National Opera. The Handel and Haydn Society made its European debut in 1996 at the Edinburgh Festival with performances of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice led by Christopher Hogwood in a collaboration with Mark Morris Dance Group. The Society last appeared in Europe on September 9, 2006, at the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria. The acclaimed British conductor Harry Christophers led the Orchestra in music by Haydn and Handel.