Handel And Haydn Society Opens 211th Season With Handel’s SAUL
The grand oratorio will feature guest soloists, the H+H Youth Choruses Chamber Choir, and CitySing participants at Symphony Hall.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 09, 2025
The Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) will launch its landmark 211th consecutive season with Handel’s dramatic oratorio Saul, presented on October 3 and 5 at Symphony Hall. Led by Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen, the large-scale production will feature the H+H Orchestra and Chorus, five guest soloists, the H+H Youth Choruses Chamber Choir, and members of community ensembles performing as part of H+H’s second annual CitySing initiative.
The oratorio’s cast includes British bass-baritone Neal Davies as Saul and countertenor Christopher Lowrey as David, joined by three artists making their H+H debuts: soprano Sarah Brady (Merab), soprano Julie Roset (Michal), and tenor Linard Vrielink (Jonathan). Additional roles will be performed by H+H Chorus members Jonas Budris, David McFerrin, Stefan Reed, Steven Soph, and Ryne Cherry.
“Saul showcases Handel's genius for oratorio composition,” said Cohen. “From dynamic arias to rousing choruses, Handel deploys all the colors of an expanded Baroque orchestra. I’m thrilled to bring together our Youth Choruses and CitySing collaborators for what promises to be a choral extravaganza.”
About Saul
With a libretto by Charles Jennens (Handel’s collaborator on Messiah), Saul traces the rise and fall of Israel’s first king through music of extraordinary scope and emotional depth. Handel’s score includes unusual orchestral colors, from trombones and carillon to his own organ solos, and features one of his most famous pieces—the solemn “Dead March” from Act III, later performed at state funerals for leaders including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill.
Concert Information
Saul
Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston
Friday, October 3 at 7:30pm
Sunday, October 5 at 3:00pm
Tickets: handelandhaydn.org or 617.262.1815
Forty-five minutes before each performance, audiences are invited to Musically Speaking in Higginson Hall, a free pre-concert talk hosted by H+H’s Christopher Hogwood Historically Informed Performance Fellow Teresa Neff.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Founded in 1815, Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society is the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States. Known for historically informed performances, H+H has been at the forefront of American music history, from presenting the U.S. premiere of Handel’s Messiah in 1818 to performing at the Grand Jubilee Concert marking the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Today, H+H reaches more than 76,000 listeners annually through concerts, broadcasts, recordings, and an expansive youth education program.
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