MA College of Art and Design Student Artwork Inspired by Handel's SAMSON on View at Symphony Hall

The Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design are proud to announce the continuation of a unique creative partnership, now in its third year. Under the instruction of MassArt faculty members, junior class students in the Illustration department have created works of visual art inspired by Handel's Samson. Twelve works will be on view at Symphony Hall's Cabot-Cahners Room during the same weekend that H+H performs Handel's dramatic oratorio.

Through Project: Handel, H+H and MassArt have explored the impact of multidisciplinary learning; demonstrated ways in which a performing arts organization and an artistic institution of higher education can engage students, educators, concertgoers, and the global internet community; and tested the public's conception of the arts.

In October and February, H+H Historically Informed Performance Fellow Teresa Neff and H+H musicians visited MassArt classes to give students greater insight into who Handel was, how he approached composition, the story of Samson, and the music of this masterwork. On Tuesday, April 15, a panel of MassArt faculty and H+H patrons selected the 12 works to display at Symphony Hall. All project-related artwork, which ranges from ethereal abstraction to comic-book directness, is available for view on Handel and Haydn Society's website, handelandhaydn.org/massart-samson.

This educational initiative began in 2012 when H+H performed Bach's St. Matthew Passion. It was such a success that the partners were eager to continue the collaboration, creating visual art to Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, and now, Project: Handel.

"What we love about this partnership with MassArt is the incredible creative synergy," says H+H Director of Bicentennial and Community Engagement Emily Yoder Reed. "It's been a fun and effective way to break down the wall between the musicians and the audience, and build community engagement through another medium."

"This is a great opportunity for our students," says Linda Bourke, Chair of the Illustration Department at MassArt. "They learn about music and history through this partnership and, in return, contribute to the creative economy by illustrating what the work means to them and then sharing their creations with music patrons."

This collaboration will continue next year with Haydn's Creation.

ABOUT THE HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY: Founded in Boston in 1815, the Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) is considered America's oldest continuously performing arts organization. H+H will celebrate its Bicentennial in 2015 with a series of special concerts and initiatives to honor 200 years of music making. Under Artistic Director Harry Christophers' leadership, H+H's mission is to enrich life and influence culture by performing Baroque and Classical music at the highest levels of artistic excellence, and by providing engaging, accessible, and broadly inclusive music education and training activities. H+H's Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus present live and recorded historically informed performances of this repertoire in ways that stimulate the musical and culture life of the Greater Boston community and beyond.

H+H's esteemed tradition of innovation and excellence began in the 19th century with the American premieres of Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation, Verdi's Requiem, and Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Today, H+H is widely known through its local subscription series, tours, concert broadcasts on 99.5 WCRB and National Public Radio, and recordings. H+H's first recording with Harry Christophers, Mozart Mass in C Minor, was issued in September 2010 on the CORO label. Subsequent releases include Mozart Requiem (2011), and Coronation Mass (2012), as well as the critically acclaimed Haydn, Vol. 1 (September 2013) and the best-selling Joy to the World: An American Christmas (October 2013).

As a 21st-century performing arts organization, H+H's primary roles are to perform and educate, and to serve as a resource center and community partner. The Karen S. and George D. Levy Education Program, established in 1985, reaches 10,000 children each year in underserved Greater Boston communities. H+H also maintains partnerships with cultural and higher educational institutions.

ABOUT THE MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN: Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public, independent college of art and design. The college's professional baccalaureate and graduate programs prepare students to participate in the creative economy as fine artists, designers, and art educators, and to engage in the well being of their society. As a national leader in visual art and design education, the college influences contemporary culture through the accomplishments of its alumni and the creative activities of its faculty and staff.

Image by Erin Moran

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