The American Handel Festival 2011

Sweet Bird Classics is bringing the 30-year-old American Handel Festival to Seattle in March 2011. This is a three-week, citywide festival, incorporating some 18 concerts and a host of lectures, symposia, and educational activities.

The festival was founded at the University of Maryland in 1981 and held there until 2001, when it began traveling to different cities. The most recent festivals were in Danville KY, Princeton NJ, Santa Fe NM, and Iowa City IA. The idea of a Handel festival in Seattle has captured the city’s imagination, and a number of groups have already committed to holding Handel events.

March 11-12:

Seattle Symphony Orchestra: Handel program with soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, conducted by  Nicholas McGegan

Mar. 12-13:

Gallery Concerts, Chamber Music

Sun. Mar. 13:

Evening concert: Orchestra Seattle: Saul

Fri. Mar. 18:

Our Lady of Fatima Chamber Choir and Baroque Orchestra, Matthew Loucks, Artistic and Musical Director; program TBD

Sat. Mar. 19:

Seattle Recorder Society’s “Handel Play-In,” arrangements of the Water Music and Fireworks Music, open to recorder and viol players, free

Sun. Mar. 20, 3:30 pm:

Early Music Guild; Les Voix Baroques; Portland Baroque Orchestra: Bach St. John Passion

Sun. Mar. 20, 2 pm and 4 pm:

St. Mark’s Cathedral: Handel Organ Concertos 

Mar. 19-20, 8 pm: Seattle Pro Musica: Dixit Dominus and Coronation Anthems conducted by Karen P. Thomas

March 23-26:

Four-day Handel Chorus workshop open to student and adult singers, led by local conductors James Savage (St. James Cathedral), Karen P. Thomas (Seattle Pro Musica), Doug Fullington (Seattle’s Tudor Choir), and renowned Handel scholar Donald Burrows (Open University, UK), with an orchestra made up of local musicians

Thurs. Mar. 24:

Opening reception for scholarly symposium, includes opening reception with music by Roosevelt H.S. students, and by baroque harpist Maxine Eilander, whose CD Handel’s Harp was released in Aug. 2009

March 24-27:

 Scholarly symposium by the American Handel Society; and papers by international Handel scholars

Fri. March 25:

Noon recital by Janet See, baroque flute

Fri. March 25:

Acis and Galatea, by Boston Early Music Festival, stage direction by Gilbert Blin, musical direction by Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs

Sat. March 26:

Noon concert by Handel Chorus workshop

Sat. March 26:

Howard Serwer Memorial Lecture by UC Berkeley scholar John Roberts

Sat. March 26:

Evening concert: Esther 1720; first modern performance of this version of the oratorio. Performers: Pacific Musicworks, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and the Tudor Choir, conducted by Stephen Stubbs

Sun. Mar. 27, 2 pm:

Seattle Baroque Orchestra, led by Ingrid Matthews

Educational Programs:

Mar. 7-22:

Osher, Continuing Education for Seniors at the University of Washington: a course on Handel taught by Dr. Ronish

Mar. 10-23:

Residencies at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and Cornish College in Seattle taught by Stephen Stubbs

Thurs. Mar. 17:

Workshop with St. James Youth Music program, 80 students

Mar. 23-26:

Four-day Handel Chorus workshop for students, adults, and seniors

Thurs. Mar. 24:

Performance at opening reception by Roosevelt High School students

Sat. Mar. 26:

Afternoon family concert, aimed at small children

Date TBD: Seattle Early Dance workshop

Date TBD: Slide Show: Handel and the English Country Garden, Paul Willen

Date TBD: Slide Show: Handel’s Personal Art Collection, Thomas McGeary