Intimate concert of Handel's opera, oratorio and keyboard works inspired by 18th-century women's salons, led by mezzo-soprano Meg Bragle at the historic Powel House.
Handel at Home comes to the Powel House on Sunday, November 15, as part of the Penn Live Arts season. It's a small-scale afternoon and evening of music by George Frideric Handel, one of the most beloved composers of the 18th century, performed in a house that dates back to 1765. The program brings together opera, oratorio, and keyboard works, all played in the same room where you'll be sitting.
Mezzo-soprano Meg Bragle, a Penn artist-in-residence, leads the ensemble. She's joined by soprano Mary Wilson and harpsichordist Hanbyeol Lee. The three of them handle the singing and the accompaniment, and the set moves between Handel's operatic arias, his oratorio pieces, and solo keyboard works—the kind of music that would have been played in a private home rather than a concert hall.
The whole thing is built around the musical life of the early American republic, when small gatherings of music, poetry, and conversation were the center of social and cultural life. Bragle describes the program as inspired by the talent, curiosity, and hospitality of the 18th-century women who were at the heart of those artistic circles. Staging it in the Powel House, which was built in 1765, keeps that connection to the era front and center—it's a glimpse into Philadelphia's colonial salons, with the music played in a space that fits the time.
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There are two performances on the day: one at 3 PM and another at 7 PM. Both have already sold out, but the box office can add your name to a wait list if you're still hoping to get in. One practical thing to keep in mind: the house isn't fully accessible, and the performance space is reached by two sets of stairs. The Powel House is at 244 South 3rd Street.
