The Händelfestspielorchester Halle has been making music on historical instruments since 1993, and in its capacity as an Early Music specialist ensemble continues the decades-long tradition of nurturing the music of Handel in Halle. It enjoys a unique affiliation with the Staatskapelle Halle, a concert and opera orchestra that plays on modern instruments.
In recent years, the Händelfestspielorchester Halle has appeared at Musikfest Stuttgart, Leipzig Bach Festival, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Semperoper Dresden, at the Handel festivals in Göttingen and Halle, where it is involved in the annual staging of a Handel opera, and across Europe and in South Korea.
The orchestra has worked with international experts such as Paul McCreesh, Marcus Creed, Michael Schneider, Fabio Biondi, Wolfgang Katschner, Sergio Azzolini and Enrico Onofri. Bernhard Forck served as artistic director from 2007 until 2019, with Attilio Cremonesi taking up the role in 2021/22.
The orchestra’s discography includes Volumes I and IV of the Haendeliana Hallensis series (Querstand), and Care pupille (Orfeo), which features excerpts from works by Handel and Gluck, with the orchestra, conducted by Michael Hofstetter, appearing alongside soprano Samuel Mariño.
The Händelfestspielorchester Halle is the laureate of the 2025 Handel Prize, awarded by the Handel House Foundation.
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