A Grand Chorus: The Power of Music

Explore the life-affirming power of music through the lens of Handel’s iconic ‘Hallelujah Chorus’. Looking at the exhilarating experience and enduring impact of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ in the past and present,

A Grand Chorus explores the profound effect that music can have on both listeners and performers, encouraging visitors to think about their own physical and emotional connections with music, either through encounters with the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ or reflecting on music that has transformed and enriched their own lives.

A Grand Chorus brings together musical scores, librettos, and musical instruments as well as paintings, photographs, audio, video, personal testimony, and other archival material spanning three centuries.

The exhibition will also showcase a major sound and video installation by Mikhail Karikis, We are Together Because… (2025), the first time the work has been presented in the UK. Featuring a powerful anthem for a new generation, Karikis’s work can be imagined as a contemporary counterpart to the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’.