Handel and Haydn Society Receives NEA Award

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced last week that the Handel and Haydn Society is one of 919 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. H+H is recommended for a $60,000 grant for its performances of Haydn's The Creation in May 2015 as well as educational and community programs that will surround the production.

The performances of The Creation- widely considered Haydn's crowning masterpiece- highlight H+H's extraordinary impact on the cultural landscape of Boston and the nation, particularly during its Bicentennial Season. H+H presented the American premiere of this seminal work in 1819, when it was considered contemporary music. H+H will make this piece relevant now, 200 years later, through accessible educational and community initiatives that will deepen audiences' musical and historical understanding of the work and enhance their concert experience.

Education initiatives will include interactive programs at 25 regional public schools by the H+H professional vocal quartet; high school chorus collaborations with H+H's artistic director, singers, and orchestra in excerpts of The Creation in their schools and at Jordan Hall; the chance for H+H's five youth choruses to study Haydn's music and perform it their communities; an apprenticeship for an NEC conducting student; and an interdisciplinary project for 50 MassArt illustration students. Outreach initiatives, including free ticket offers for The Creation and diverse, interdisciplinary educational content offerings such as video program notes and free pre-concert lectures, will target students and new audiences.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, "I'm pleased to be able to share the news of our support through Art Works including the award to the Handel and Haydn Society. The arts foster value, connection, creativity, and innovation for the American people and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives."

Art Works grants support the creation of art, public engagement with art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,474 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 919 are recommended for grants for a total of $26.6 million. A complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support is at the NEA website, arts.gov.

"Receiving a grant from the NEA for Haydn's Creation is a great honor and a wonderful endorsement of the work that we do here at the Handel and Haydn Society," said H+H Executive Director and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard. "Performances of this oratorio, led by our remarkable artistic director, Harry Christophers, will be one of the highlights of the Bicentennial Season."

Performances of Haydn The Creation are May 1 and 3, 2015 at Symphony Hall. The performances will be recorded for commercial release in the fall of 2015.

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