The Göttingen International Handel Festival is one of the oldest early music festivals in the world. It has been held annually for 12 days in May in the university city of Göttingen since 1920. For the 2023 festival, over 11,000 music enthusiasts flocked to Göttingen to attend around 70 events in Göttingen and southern Lower Saxony.
Since the 2021/22 season, Jochen Schäfsmeier has been Managing Director and George Petrou Artistic Director of the Festival. The Greek conductor and director leads the Göttingen Festival Orchestra, which brings together early music specialists from all over the world every year.
"Semele", 2023 © Alciro Theodoro da Silva
Opera traditionally forms the core of the festival program. It is complemented by oratorios, gala concerts, chamber concerts and contemporary crossover formats. A scientific symposium and the chamber music competition "göttingen händel competition" complete the program. In addition to the Deutsches Theater and the Stadthalle Göttingen, venues include unusual locations such as castles, churches, wine cellars, old industrial halls and the pedestrian zone. For children, there is the educational program "Händel 4 Kids!", which, in addition to concerts during the festival, is also active in schools throughout the year.
The full program will be published in the coming weeks!
May 9 to 20, 2024
