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 takes a fresh look at the origins and enduring popularity of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, as well as reflecting on the impact of music on the lives of former Foundlings and care-experienced individuals. Originally composed as part of his famous Messiah oratorio, Handel later incorporated the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ into an anthem he created specially for the Foundling Hospital that premiered in 1749 to help raise money for the charitable institution.

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’.