All are welcome to join the Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) and Museum of African American History (MAAH) for a free performance to celebrate freedom and honor the progress for human rights on Dec 31, the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. As First Night 2026 also marks the beginning of America’s 250th anniversary, the program will trace freedom from the Declaration of Independence to the Emancipation Proclamation through the music of both eras. Led by H+H Resident Conductor Anthony Trecek-King, members of the H+H Orchestra and Chorus will perform Revolutionary hymns, Handel choruses, and Spirituals born from slavery to explore the 1776 promise of freedom and how that promise evolved by 1863. The performance also includes historical context and readings by Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson and other special guests.
In its 12th year, the Emancipation Proclamation Concert is presented in partnership with Trinity Church and First Night Boston and has become a tradition for many families as we ring in the New Year. The concert takes place on the eve of the anniversary of the Grand Jubilee Concert held in Boston on January 1, 1863 to celebrate the enactment of the Proclamation, at which H+H musicians performed.