H+H Exhibits its Wares on Anniversary Day

It’s in the air of Boston these days: the arts are finally achieving the prominence they deserve in civic life. This is particularly well exemplified by the appointment of Julie Burros to a cabinet level position in the Mayor’s office and a strong commitment to the arts by Mayor Walsh. But it turns out that recognition of the value of the arts to the community has long been in the minds of proper Bostonians.

On Tuesday we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Handel & Haydn Society on the exact date. On March 24, 1815, six worthy Bostonian gentlemen met at the home of composer, educator, publisher and oboist Gottlieb Grainer to form what has become the oldest continuously operating arts organization in the country [unless one accepts the precedence of the 229‐year‐old Stoughton Chorale Society.