»Coming Home with Music«

In 1741, Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg was sent from Halle to Philadelphia. Today, he is considered the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in North America, and his son, Frederik Mühlenberg, co-signed the Bill of Rights in 1789. These historical connections between the foundations are cause for celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In cooperation with the lauttencompagney Berlin – known for its musical dialogue between past and present – we invite you to a workshop concert of the programme »Coming Home with Music«.

The concert is an appetiser and preview of the entire programme, which will be performed during the Handel Festival on Sunday, 14 June, at 11 a.m. in the Freylinghausen Hall.

The programme includes European psalms and spirituals from the 17th century, Irish and Scottish ballads, as well as well-known and lesser-known American spirituals and gospels. These soundscapes will be contrasted with arias from George Frideric Handel's English oratorios. The audience will have the unique opportunity to follow the creative process of the musicians during the CD recording and to talk to countertenor Reginald Mobley, the artistic director of the lauttencompagney Wolfgang Katschner, and Thomas Müller-Bahlke, an expert on 18th-century American history.

Seats are limited. Registration is requested.