With great sadness I have heard of the sudden death of the director of the Handel House Foundation and artistic director of the Handel Festival, Dr. Bernd Feuchtner. Since 2023, Bernd Feuchtner has worked on the difficult task of giving the Handel House and the Festival new direction in a crisis situation with great commitment, many new ideas and an almost outstanding enthusiasm. He took part in the Handel Society’s trip to London and immediately integrated himself into the circle of Handel friends with his characteristic friendliness and attention. I appreciated him as a highly competent conversational partner and admired his ability to approach people with an open interest in their nature, to recognize their characteristics and to encourage them. He put the teamwork at the Handel House on a completely new basis, and he prepared a wonderfully rich program for the audience with the 2025 Festival, which will now take place in his memory. He will be greatly missed by the worldwide Handel community.
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hirschmann, President of the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gesellschaft e. V., Internationale Vereinigung
Foto: Bernd Feuchtner © Nico Lindenthal