The Foundling Museum is honoured to welcome mezzo-soprano Katie Bray and soloists from The English Concert for a special evening performing Handel.
This year, we celebrate the 340th birthday of George Frideric Handel, who was one of the original benefactors of the Foundling Hospital. He would go on to compose the Foundling Hospital Anthem, which features the famous ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from Messiah.
The Foundling Museum and The English Concert have come together to celebrate the great 18th-century composer’s legacy with an evening of his music.
Programme
Handel Ombra mai fù from Xerxes
Handel Dolc’è pur d’amor l’affanno, HWV 109a
Bononcini Cello Sinfonia no. 2 in G minor
Bononcini Misero pastorello
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Cervetto Cello Sonata Op 3 in G major – Largo
Handel Scherza, Infida from Ariodante
Handel Harpsichord Suite in F Major HWV 427
Handel Figli del mesto cor, HWV 112
Performers
Katie Bray – Mezzo-soprano
Joseph Crouch – Cello
Sergio Bucheli – Theorbo
Tom Foster – Harpsichord
Please note that this event was formerly ‘Hilary Cronin & The English Concert’ but has been altered due to unforeseen circumstances.
Winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize at Cardiff Singer of the World, British mezzo-soprano Katie Bray has become known for her magnetic stage presence and gleaming, expressive tone.
In the opera house her roles have included Hansel Hansel and Gretel, Rosina Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Varvara Katya Kabanova, Nancy Albert Herring, Zerlina Don Giovanni, Juno Semele, Zenobia Radamisto, Minerva Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Zaida Il turco in Italia, Isolier Le Comte Ory and Vivaldi’s Griselda (the title role) for companies including English National Opera, Irish National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Garsington Opera, Grange Park Opera and Opera Holland Park. Her interest in the music of Weill and cabaret has led to staged productions of this music, including Effigies of Wickedness, based on songs banned by the Nazis, at the Gate Theatre Notting Hill. Her debut Weill album will be recorded with Chandos Records in early 2025.
On the concert platform she has appeared with orchestras including London Philharmonic Orchestra, Halle, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Aalborg Symphony, Britten Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Orchestre de Chambre de Paris in repertoire ranging from Messiah and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to Verdi Requiem, Elijah and The Dream of Gerontius, as well as mixed programmes of classical and baroque arias.
The English Concert is a period orchestra regarded for its expert balancing of delicate technical precision and the passion of its players. Founded by Trevor Pinnock in 1972, the orchestra currently thrives under the artistic direction of Harry Bicket and principal guest Kristian Bezuidenhout. Highlights of the orchestra’s calendar include an international Handel opera tour, a regular London series at venues including the Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Barbican Centre, and an annual residency at Garsington Opera. In 2023, The English Concert launched its ambitious Handel for All project, which aims to film and make freely available all of Handel’s works online.
To find out how to get here, including where to eat and drink, view our visitor information page here.
To find out more about access at the Foundling Museum, including how to book a wheelchair, visit our Accessibility page here.