The Dutch Handel Society

THE CHOIR

The Dutch Händel Society (in Dutch: Nederlandse Händelvereniging) was founded in 1934 under the name COV Bel Canto and has built up a rich musical history since then. Part of this heritage is the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, first performed by the Dutch Händel Society in 1946 at the Concertgebouw. Since then, we have performed this glorious masterpiece more than 150 times!

Until 2016, the Dutch Händel Society had only three principal conductors: founder Jack P. Loorij (1942–1987), Thijs Kramer (1989–2011), and Andrew Wise (2011–2016). In addition, the choir regularly collaborates with guest conductors including Ed Spanjaard, Klaas Stok, Boudewijn Jansen, Jules van Hessen, Bernard Touwen, Béni Csillag, and Louis Buskens. The current conductors, Paul Valk and Rick Muselaars, previously worked with the choir as guest conductors.

The Dutch Händel Society is a large, advanced regional choir that rehearses weekly at the Wilhelminakerk in Bussum. Its 80 members are experienced amateur singers with strong vocal abilities, maintaining their high standards through singing lessons, individual study, and regular (re-)auditions. The choir also receives ongoing vocal and technical support from voice coaches and, on occasion, from renowned singers such as Maarten Koningsberger. Depending on the programme, we invite project singers—particularly tenors and basses—to join us for specific concerts.

Project singers

Our Mission

Performing Messiah, other works by George Frideric Handel, and other choral music by a variety of composers, both contemporary and modern
Promoting classical music by participating in performances and events
Contributing to the community with benefit concerts, anniversaries, and memorial services
Making concerts accessible to a wider audience, including young people, refugees, and low-income groups
Offering educational programmes to increase musical knowledge and appreciation, such as masterclasses

Georg Friedrich Händel

George Frideric Handel was a German Baroque composer who spent much of his career in England. He was born in Halle on 23 February 1685 and died in London on 14 April 1759. He is best known for his oratorios, including the famous Messiah, and operas such as Semele, Giulio Cesare, and Rinaldo. Handel’s music is renowned for its powerful choral works, masterful orchestration, and emotional expression, and it has a lasting influence on classical music to this day.

Biography (in Dutch)

Ton Koopman

Ambassador of the Dutch Handel Society

Throughout his sixty-year career, Ton Koopman has grown from an enthusiastic pioneer into an undisputed authority in the field of historically informed performance practice of Baroque music. In 1973, together with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra (ABO), he presented Bach’s St John Passion on period instruments in the Netherlands for the first time. Today, the ABO is regarded as one of the leading orchestras in the field of historical performance practice.

In addition, Ton Koopman is active worldwide as a guest conductor, harpsichordist, organist, music educator, scholar, and researcher. Throughout his career, he built up an impressive library of books, early prints, sheet music, and manuscripts. In 2020, this collection found a permanent home at the Orpheus Instituut, ensuring that it remains accessible to a new generation of musicians, musicologists, and researchers, and allowing his work to continue through future generations.

In October 2025 we organised the Dutch Handel Days with our ambassador Ton Koopman and the Comenius Museum in Naarden. In addition to chamber music concerts and master classes for conservatory students in the Vitus Church, this Handel festival included an exhibition of prints, manuscripts and period instruments from Ton Koopman’s extensive private collection.

Concert Practice

The Dutch Handel Society performs several major concerts each year in collaboration with professional soloists and orchestras: two (or more) performances of Messiah, a spring and an autumn concert, as well as various occasional concerts at the request of community organisations. The Dutch Handel Society strives to promote the works of George Frideric Handel and his contemporaries, while also performing choral music by contemporary and more modern composers such as Samuel Barber, Johannes Brahms, Morten Lauridsen, Cyrillus Kreek, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, John Rutter, Antonio Vivaldi, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Gerald Finzi.

In addition to concerts in the Netherlands, the Dutch Handel Society periodically undertakes international concert tours, with performances in various countries including Belgium, Germany, Israel, United Kingdom, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

A special aspect of the Dutch Handel Society is its collaboration with the International Vocalists Competition in Den Bosch (in Dutch: Internationaal Vocalisten Concours), which began in 2012. The Dutch Handel Society awards two prizes as part of this partnership: the Handel Choir Award and the Andrew Wise Talent Award. The prize-winning soloists are subsequently invited to perform in our concerts.

Media Library

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Sing with Us!

Would you like to sing in a large, advanced regional choir? Then feel free to join one of our rehearsals, held every Thursday from 7:45 pm to 10:15 pm at the Wilhelminakerk in Bussum. You can become a member or join us on a project basis. All experienced singers, especially basses and tenors, are more than welcome! If you are interested, please register as a prospective member or project singer below.

Member Project singer