Handel Society of Dartmouth College

The Handel Society of Dartmouth College is the oldest student, faculty, staff and community organization in the United States devoted to the performance of choral-orchestral major works. The Society was founded in 1807 by Dartmouth faculty and students to “promote the cause of true and genuine sacred music.” Led by John Hubbard, Dartmouth Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy, the Society sought to advance the works of Baroque masters through performance. Members of the Society believed the grand choruses of George Frideric Handel exemplified their goals and thus adopted his name for their group. Since its inception, the Handel Society has grown considerably in size and scope of programming. Today, comprising 100 members drawn from the Dartmouth student body, faculty and staff, and the Upper Valley community, the Society performs two or three concerts a year of major works both old and new.

For further information, please check our website at handelsociety.org.

Conductor Robert Duff received his doctorate in musical arts from the University of Southern California. He studied conducting with E. Wayne Abercrombie, Alan Harler, Lynn Bielefelt, William Dehning, and John Barnett. A former director of music for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, he taught at Claremont Graduate University, Pomona College, and Mount St. Mary’s College. He is the President-Elect of the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association.