The Handel Choir of Baltimore

Since 1977, The Handel Choir of Baltimore has been under the musical direction of T. HERBERT DIMMOCK. Under his leadership, the choir has experienced dramatic artistic growth, presenting outstanding performances of the masterpieces of the choral repertoire throughout the Baltimore region.

In addition to his work as a conductor, Mr. Dimmock is an active organist who has been heard in recital in Westminster Abbey, Winchester Cathedral, the National Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. His conducting credits are equally noteworthy and include many major ensembles in the U.S.: the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the International Bach Academy Orchestra, Gechinger Cantorei, Stuttgart, Germany, and the Handel Festival Orchestra. A graduate of Davidson College and Peabody Conservatory, Mr. Dimmock has pursued further study with Greg Smith, Roger Wagner, Robert Shaw, and Helmuth Rilling.

THE HANDEL CHOIR OF BALTIMORE was founded in 1934 as the first ensemble in Maryland open to all qualified members of the community. The choir regularly presents 8 to 10 subscription concerts during a concert season and makes many public service appearances with the ensembles ranging in size from 14 to 100 musicians. These concerts include a cappella singing, annual performances of Handel's Messiah, music of Bach, Mendelssohn, Mozart and all of the other Handel oratorios. The choir's annual "Music for a Great Space" concert also features the polychoral music of Gabrieli for both brass and choir(s).

The Handel Choir also has an extensive educational outreach program in area schools. In a typical year the choir will sponsor 300 classes, many field trips and bring hundreds of young students to its concerts. Members of the choir come from all parts of the greater Baltimore, Maryland community. Music teachers, homemakers, lawyers, physicians, computer programmers, graduate students, and non-profit developers are just a few of the many professions brought together through music in the choir.

"Virtually every item is impressively and gorgeously sung, which is no mean feat considering the difficulty and expressive range of the repertory. One can only have admiration for this group of singers, and it would be difficult to find fault with any of the performances on this disc (BR120)."
Robert D. Cummings, Editor, Classics@Cosmik