2009 is celebrated worldwide as the George Frideric Handel Year, proclaimed in connection with the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death, which will come on 14th April. The main events of the Handel year will be held in places associated with his life: in his German hometown Halle and in London, where he died. The celebrations will culminated in an EBU special Day – 19th April 2009 – when 40 radio broadcasters, members of the EBU, will broadcast special live concerts from their countries. Halle, Handel’s birthplace, will inaugurate the Special Day with a concert in the Marktkirche, where the composer was baptized. Also in Halle a Handel Festival will be held on 4th-14th June 2009 under the honorary patronage of Queen Elisabeth II and Horst Köhler, President of the German Federal Republic.

More information on the Handel Year, particularly about the festivities in Halle, is available on the website: www.haendel2009.com, which also contains a wealth of material about the composer’s life and work as well as places associated with his biography.