Welcome to H+H’s 211th season! After many exhilarating concerts together last year, I’m more energized than ever and thrilled to share the incredible performances we have in store for you. As I begin my third season as Artistic Director, I remain deeply inspired by the joy, the curiosity, and the shared love of music that makes the H+H community so special.
In the 2025–26 Season, we invite you to join us for concerts that will take you on a journey celebrating the grandeur and brilliance of music from the early Baroque to the late Classical period. Together, we’ll discover the masterpieces that captivated their first audiences and bring them to life again with energy and passion.
We open the season with Handel’s dramatic oratorio Saul, a gripping and deeply human story of admiration, envy, and madness with rousing choruses and blazing trumpets and drums. Continuing the great success of CitySing with last season’s Messiah, talented singers from our community will join H+H on stage for Saul. At our season opener and throughout the year, I’m eager for you to hear the ever-inspiring voices of our Youth Choruses. Later in the season, you’ll be swept up in the dance-like orchestral acrobatics of Rameau and the majesty of Handel’s Water Music. I’m also delighted to welcome many guest stars this season, including soprano Carolyn Sampson to sing Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, and my dear friend Raphaël Pichon who will conduct H+H in a performance of Beethoven’s exhilarating Symphony No. 7. In a brilliant finale, celebrated BSO Choral Conductor James Burton will showcase the H+H Chorus in a beautiful and evocative program which puts “Boston’s best professional chorus” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer) in the spotlight.
This new season promises to be a thrilling voyage of discovery and breathtaking music. I’m very much looking forward to sharing the journey with you. See you in the concert hall!
From the Audience:
“No musical experience can equal live H+H.”
“Be prepared to be so moved that you may weep on and off throughout the performance!”
“I felt like H+H was channeling Mozart into Symphony Hall. I was riveted.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SEASON
WHAT MAKES US HIP?
When you hear H+H perform Baroque and Classical music, you’ll experience the same joy, exhilaration, and awe that its first audiences felt hundreds of years ago—joining a musical and emotional tradition that unites us all. That’s because H+H is a leader in the Historically Informed Performance (HIP) movement, striving to fulfill the vision of history’s great composers with the same dedication, freshness, and energy that they felt when composing their music.
Our orchestra plays on the period instruments these composers wrote for—winds made from wood, gut strings instead of steel, brass without valves, and more. After perfecting the historical techniques used to play them, these brilliant musicians know their instruments like old friends, creating nuanced sounds sure to draw you in closer. Our ensembles have just 25 to 50 members, bringing a rare sense of intimacy to each concert. Whether we’re singing a medieval chant or playing a 19th-century concerto, our musicians—among the global leaders in HIP— dust off the cobwebs. Even a beloved piece you’ve heard a hundred times can feel like a brand-new discovery.
John Lenti playing a Baroque guitar.
2025-26 SEASON
SEASON OPENER
Saul
Emotions run wild as Handel’s soaring score comes to life with the H+H Orchestra and Chorus, making “the past the living present” (Opera con Brio). The legendary battle of David and Goliath is just the beginning—what follows is a tragic descent fueled by jealousy and madness. Don’t miss your chance to see this titanic tale sewn together by fate and passion performed just as Handel would’ve heard it.
SYMPHONY HALL
FRI, OCT 3, 2025 | 7:30PM SUN, OCT 5, 2025 | 3:00PM
“The full sweep and depth of H+H’s sound was on display.”
New York Classical Review
“The electrifying combination should dispel forever the notion that period music performed on period instruments is merely a museum outing.”
— The Boston Musical Intelligencer
Jonathan Cohen
Beethoven Symphony No. 7
Following the sold-out triumph of Beethoven’s 9th, Raphaël Pichon returns to lead the H+H Orchestra with a bold program “highlighting the spare beauties from every phrase” (Boston Classical Review). With rhythmic fire and unrelenting momentum, Beethoven Symphony No. 7 soars to new heights, paired with selections from Rameau’s operas bursting with dance-like splendor. Don’t miss this thrilling fusion of intensity and grace.
SYMPHONY HALL
FRI, OCT 24, 2025 | 7:30PM SAT, OCT 25, 2025 | 2:00PM (NOTE TIME)
Raphaël Pichon, conductor
TBD, soprano TBD, bass H+H Orchestra
Rameau: Selected opera orchestral dances and arias Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Handel’s Messiah
For the 172nd consecutive year, H+H presents Handel’s iconic Messiah. This majestic music will rekindle joy and hope at Symphony Hall with the incomparable H+H Orchestra and Chorus under the “expert direction” (The Boston Globe) of Artistic Director
Jonathan Cohen with renowned soprano Lauren Snouffer who’ll bring this soul-stirring story to life with “a lustrous tone” (Cincinnati Business Courier). Without a doubt, this is Boston’s must-see Messiah.
SYMPHONY HALL
FRI, NOV 28, 2025 | 7:30PM SAT, NOV 29, 2025 | 3:00PM SUN, NOV 30, 2025 | 3:00PM
Jonathan Cohen, conductor
Lauren Snouffer, soprano
Avery Amereau, mezzo-soprano
Ben Bliss, tenor
Nicholas Newton, bass-baritone H+H Orchestra and Chorus
Handel: Messiah
Baroque
Christmas
Deck the halls with Bach and the brilliance of the Baroque! Celebrate the season with the H+H Orchestra, Chorus, and Resident Conductor Scott Allen Jarrett as they bring you music that overflows with joy and “crackles with spirit” (The Arts Fuse). The holidays shine even brighter with jubilant works by the harmonious duo J.S. Bach and his cousin J.L. Bach, alongside the sparkling beauty of Graupner’s Magnificat.
NEC’S JORDAN HALL
THURS, DEC 18, 2025 | 7:30PM SUN, DEC 21, 2025 | 3:00PM
Scott Allen Jarrett, conductor H+H Orchestra and Chorus
Graupner: Magnificat in C Major
J.L. Bach: Uns ist ein Kind geboren
J.S. Bach: Sanctus in C Major, BWV 237
J.S. Bach: Cantata No. 63, Christen, ätzet diesen Tag
Mozart + Haydn
Ring in the new year with music that will leave you on the edge of your seat! Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen leads the brilliant H+H Orchestra with the glowing Carolyn Sampson, whose voice conveys “a world of meaning with every phrase” (St. Louis Today). Let your spirit soar with the radiant joy in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate before feeling the profound expression in Haydn’s Symphony No. 44 and the surging drama of Telemann’s gripping Ino. Toast a brand new year with the wonders of this musical feast!
NEC’S JORDAN HALL
FRI, JAN 9, 2026 | 7:30PM SUN, JAN 11, 2026 | 3:00PM
“Music that crackles with life and color” (The Boston Globe) will sweep you off your feet as the H+H Orchestra brings new life to the sparkling charm of Lully’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, the magnificence of Handel’s Water Music, and the genius of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. There is simply no substitute for the vivid authenticity, energy, and exhilaration that blooms when you hear this music played on the instruments it was made for.
Rameau: Suite of instrumental dances and overtures
Bach + Telemann
Enjoy the unparalleled H+H Orchestra as they share their “consistently fresh and vital” takes on Baroque music (The Boston Globe). Embrace the warm comfort of Bach cantatas perfectly paired by the grace of Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. To send us off, Telemann’s Du aber Daniel gehe hin reminds the soul of blessed bliss!
OLD SOUTH CHURCH
FRI, MAY 15, 2026 | 7:30PM
SANDERS THEATRE SAT, MAY 16, 2026 | 7:30PM
Jonathan Cohen, conductor
Robin Johannsen, soprano
Christopher Lowrey, countertenor
Guy Cutting, tenor
Dingle Yandell, bass-baritone
H+H Orchestra
J.S. Bach: Cantata No. 106, Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit
J.S. Bach: Cantata No. 4, Christ lag in Todesbanden
J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 6
Telemann: Cantata, Du aber Daniel gehe hin
Voices Carry
For the final program of the season, every note awakens the soul, reaffirming music’s timeless power to guide us toward joy. Led by celebrated BSO Choral Director James Burton, “Boston’s best professional chorus” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer) delivers a concert experience unlike any other in our season, showcasing the transcendent music of Bach, Brahms, Gesualdo, and more — reminding us that in music, we can rediscover hope.
NEC’S JORDAN HALL
FRI, MAY 29, 2026 | 7:30PM
SUN, MAY 31, 2026 | 3:00PM
James Burton, conductor H+H Chorus
Schütz: Deutsches Magnificat, SWV 494
Kuhnau: Tristis est anima mea
J.S. Bach: Komm, Jesu, Komm, BWV 229
Brahms: Warum ist das licht gegeben
Gesualdo: Miserere Mei
Scarlatti: Stabat Mater
James Burton
Robin Johannsen
H+H Orchestra
CITYSING RETURNS
In the inspiring original spirit of the “Society” of H+H, our CitySing program returns for a second season, welcoming 30 singers from the metro Boston community to sing with the H+H Orchestra and Chorus for Handel’s Saul, our 2025-26 Season opener. Last year’s inaugural CitySing performance of selected portions of Handel’s Messiah was encapsulated by The Boston Musical Intelligencer, which said that CitySing participants “sumptuously enriched the Society’s fine professional chorus.” H+H and Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen are thrilled to continue to celebrate the vitality of Boston’s incredible singing community.
is More Than the Music
JOIN OUR INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY.
Choose your own concerts or choose them all—either way, you’ll save!
FULL SEASON SUBSCRIPTION
Save $513 and enjoy the complete 8-Concert season in the very best seats.
• Highest priority seating for the 4 concerts at Symphony Hall, plus 4 concerts at NEC’s Jordan Hall, Sanders Theatre, and Old South Church.
• Free Parking vouchers for 4 Symphony Hall concerts ($140 savings).
• Ticket price savings of up to $373, equivalent to two free seats.
• Free ticket exchanges if something comes up.
SYMPHONY HALL SUBSCRIPTION
Save up to $156 on 4 concerts in Symphony Hall.
Experience the H+H Orchestra and Chorus in world-renowned Symphony Hall.
• Priority Seating for 4 concerts at Symphony Hall.
• Prepaid Parking vouchers available to purchase.
• Free ticket exchanges if something comes up.
CREATE YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION
Choose 3 or more concerts this season and set your calendar, your way.
Pick all the concerts that work for you and subscribe today. Enjoy preferred seating at discounted prices, plus exchange your tickets for free if something comes up.
ALL H+H SUBSCRIBERS ENJOY:
• 20% off tickets to additional concerts all season long and we waive the handling fee.
• Plus highest priority seating, lower prices, and free ticket exchange. An H+H subscription is the best option for the price, seat location and piece of mind. Set it and forget it.
HOW TO ORDER:
Online: handelandhaydn.org, skip the $9 handling fee
By phone: 617.262.1815 M-F, 9-5
When ordering select your concert series, concert time and price. For a Create Your Own Series, please select the concerts you’d like to purchase and your seating preference.
* Includes Free Parking for Symphony Hall concerts, a $140 value.
** Includes the Option to Reserve Prepaid Parking. All dates, repertoire, and artists subject to change. All sales are final; no refunds. Priority seating is given to Conductor’s Circle donors, then to subscribers based on package size and date of purchase.
Please consider adding a donation. H+H is dependent upon your additional support to create the life-changing musical experiences you enjoy.
Photo Credits: Marco Borggreve, Sam Brewer, Stu Rosner, Robert Torres, Kat Waterman
