Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society has announced conductor, cellist and keyboardist Jonathan Cohen as its next Artistic Director, succeeding Harry Christophers who stepped down from the position in 2021 after 15 years in the role.

Manchester-born Cohen will become one of the youngest Artistic Directors in the history of America’s oldest arts organisation, and the second successive British musician to take the role. He graduated from Clare College, Cambridge in 2000, was a co-founder of the renowned London Haydn Quartet, and founded the UK-based early music ensemble Arcangelo, with whom he has achieved two Gramophone Awards: the Recital Award in 2012 and Best Baroque Vocals in 2017.

Speaking of the appointment, Cohen described the opportunity as ‘a dream come true, allowing me to work collaboratively with some of the most skilled and passionate musicians on the planet’. His new role will commence at the start of the 2023-24 Season and follows a successful run of concerts with the Handel and Haydn Society earlier this year, directing the Baroque masterpieces of Vivaldi’s Gloria, CPE Bach’s Magnificat, and JS Bach’s Orchestral Suite No 1.

The Society also expressed excitement about the appointment: 'Jonathan understands that performing on period instruments is not an academic exercise; it’s about performing this music with the freshness and vibrancy of new music’. CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society David Snead added: ‘From Jonathan’s first performances with Handel and Haydn it was clear that his approach to music-making aligns powerfully with what H+H is all about’