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
Wed.Mar. 16, 1 pm: Cornish College: The Man in the Mirror, a brilliant new musical play by Ben Bernstein, sung by tenor Ross Hauck
Thurs.Mar.17, 2 pm: The Frye Museum: The Man in the Mirror, by Ben Bernstein, sung by Ross Hauck
Fri. Mar. 18, 10 am: University of Washington: The Man in the Mirror, by Ben Bernstein, sung by Ross Hauck
Fri. Mar. 18: Our Lady of Fatima Chamber Choir and Baroque Orchestra, Matthew Loucks, Artistic and Musical Director: “Carmelite” Vespers
Fri. Mar. 18, 10:30 pm: Sorrento Hotel: Late-night performance and dinner: The Man in the Mirror, by Ben Bernstein, sung by Ross Hauck
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 conference by the American Handel Society with papers by international Handel scholars
Fri. March 25: Noon recital by Baroque flutist Janet See
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
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