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Handel and Haydn Society to perform 'Israel in Egypt' for MIT’s 150th

The Handel and Haydn Society, Boston’s renowned period orchestra and professional chorus, will perform Israel in Egypt at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, in Kresge Auditorium. The concert — part of the MIT 150th celebration — will be preceded by a colloquium exploring themes of liberation.

Music Professor Ellen T. Harris will discuss Handel’s setting of the story in 1738 England, and she will moderate a panel discussion featuring Professor Emeritus Peter Temin, who will talk about the biblical and historical Exodus; Associate Professor Sandy Alexandre, who will link the story of Exodus to America’s civil rights movement; and the artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society, Harry Christophers, who will offer his views on the music.

The Handel and Haydn Society, which was founded in 1815, was the only professional music group in Boston when MIT was established in 1861, and first performed Handel's Israel in Egypt in 1869, during MIT's infancy. With this performance, the Institute and the Handel and Haydn Society join forces to celebrate their mutual dedication to the arts, education and creative discovery.

The symposium is free and open to all; the concert is free and open to the MIT community and guests. Learn more about the event

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