Since summer 2016, the George Frideric Handel Society has been organising an annual meeting of the members of the Handel Societies in the courtyard of the Neue Residenz during the Handel Festival in Halle. It is intended to be a place for encounters, relaxed conviviality and lively conversation. Members of the Handel societies, the Friends of the Handel House, as well as musicians, organisers and partners are invited to attend, gladly accompanied by their Handel-friends. Food and drinks will be provided.
Date 2022: 28 May, starting at 9 p.m.
The location of the meeting is the courtyard of the Neue Residenz, Domstraße 5, which Kardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg had built in the mid-16th century in the neighbourhood of the cathedral and which thereafter was used as the residence of the archbishops of the Magdeburg archdiocese and later of the secular administrators of the archdiocese. From the end of the 17th century, the university used the Renaissance building, which resulted in significant alterations and the loss of essential elements of the historical building structure, especially in the 18th century.
Since 2003, the buildings which are in need of renovation have been largely empty. The courtyard of the Neue Residenz, on the other hand, has come back to life since 2009. The Berufliches Bildungswerk e.V. Halle-Saalekreis, funded by the Job Centre, creates thematic gardens here several times a year as part of an initiative for the long-term unemployed, transforming the place into an idyll. Especially during the Handel Festival, this is an opportunity to take a break and have a look around and enjoy a quiet coffee.
We would like to thank Mrs Friedrich from the Berufliches Bildungswerk and her team for their lovely and helpful preparation and accompaniment of our meetings.