Members of the Handel Society have made three successful international concert tours. The first two tours brought the Society to Germany and Austria in 1999 and 2002, while our December 2006 tour included Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Participation is voluntary, and family members are welcome to come along. Plans are being made for a fourth European tour to Germany, France, and the UK in 2009.
Prior to European concert tours, Handel Society had performed in the Toronto International Choral Festival and in Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1991 with the New York Pops Orchestra. Following the New York performance, a Handel Society member with contacts in Austria and Germany arranged a concert tour in Dec. 1999. The second tour in 2001 became an expanded and improved version of the first tour.
The Handel Society's third European tour inaugurated the group's Bicentennial Celebration, marking the 200th anniversary of its founding in 1807. For the first time Handel Society performed in Switzerland and Italy, as well as at significant venues in Salzburg and Vienna. Venues included the United Nations Catholic Chapel in Vienna, a joint performance with choirs from Austria and Hungary in Oberndorf, Sunday Mass in the Salzburg Cathedral, and concerts in Verona and Florence, Italy.
