Handel House Foundation mourns the loss of Director Dr Bernd Feuchtner

It was with dismay and sadness that we, the staff of the Handel House Foundation, learned of the sudden death of our director Dr Bernd Feuchtner. Dr Feuchtner could look back on a long career as a music critic, editor, dramaturge and opera director and also held several chairs in Germany and abroad. He made a particular contribution to the perception of the work of Dimitri Shostakovich, on which he published several groundbreaking books.  In May 2023, he was appointed Director of the Handel Festival in Halle and, in the following year, Director of the Handel House Foundation. He successfully led the foundation through a period characterised by change and uncertainty. As Artistic Director of the Handel Festival, he set artistic accents. He was particularly keen to open up the festival to new approaches and to involve Halle's creative artists. The staff team will remember him above all for his sociable manner, his appreciative collegiality and his enthusiasm for George Frideric Handel. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family.