Founded in 1807, the Handel Society is proud to be America's oldest "town-gown" choral society.
"Performing with the Handel Society is truly a transcendent experience. I hope the audience feels an emotional connection to the works." Benjamin Weinstock '17
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."
This oratorio society consists of up to one hundred vocalists from Dartmouth and the Upper Valley community, and the Society collaborates with professional instrumentalists and soloists for its two annual performances. The ensemble performs an exhilarating range of music, from long-treasured masterworks to stunning contemporary pieces and new commissions. The Society tours regularly at home and abroad, performing in major venues and cathedrals throughout Europe.
In addition to its regularly scheduled performances, the Society performs regularly at outreach events in the Upper Valley, reaching audiences in schools, community organizations and assisted living centers. Find us on Facebook.
Join the Handel Society
Rehearsals are Wednesdays 7:00-9:30 pm. Questions about joining? Email the Director Filippo Ciabatti
2021.11.16 — Schubert Mass in G, Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine and Lauridsen Lux Aeterna
2019.11.16 — Rossini's Stabat Mater
2019.05.18-19 — Handel's Messiah
2018.11.13 — Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
2018.05.19 — Bach St. John Passion
2017.11.14 — Mozart/Levin Requiem and Lauridsen Lux Æterna
2017.05.20 — Dvořák's Stabat Mater, Op. 58 and Bach's Magnificat, BWV 243
2016.11.15 — Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, world premiere of Dominic DiOrio's I Am Music and works by Arvo Pärt
2016.05.29 — Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
with the Darmouth Symphony and Glee Club
2016.05.14 — Bach's B Minor Mass
2015.11.17 — Handel's Messiah
2015.05.16 — Verdi Requiem
2014.11.18 — Brahms Alto Rhapsody, Schicksalslied, Gesang der Parzen and Ave Maria plus Whitbourn Annelies
2014.05.17-18 — Mozart's Mass in C-minor
2013.11.19 — Poulenc Gloria and Britten Ceremony of Carols
2013.05.18-19 — J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion
2013.02.24 — Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble
Glimpses of Love Christopher Marshall (world premiere)
2012.05.19 — Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem
2011.11.30 — Handel's Messiah
2010.11.30 — J. S. Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium, Parts 1, 2, & 3
2010.05.29 — Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Nº 2 in C minor Gustav Mahler
2010.05.15 — A Stranger in a Strange Land
Missa Brevis in D Zoltán Kodály
Belshazzar's Feast William Walton
2009.05.16 — Handel Society of Dartmouth College
Samson George Frideric Handel
Last Letter Home Lee Hoiby
Requiem for the Fallen Jonathan Leshnoff (joint commission
Upcoming Handel Events
Upcoming Handel Events
Handel Society Happenings
2020 Christmas Carol Sing
A look behind the scenes during a rehearsal of the 2020 Christmas Carol Sing.
In the News
A Composer’s Unique Take on Life and Death
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) revealed his deepest feelings about life and death in his “German Requiem” ( Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45). Written over about 10 years starting in his 20s—a period that...
Contact Us
Questions about Handel Society?
Please call or email the Ensembles Office.