WHAT? A Grand Chorus: The Power of Music

WHERE? Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ

WHEN? Now until 29th March 2026

WHY GO? To feel the love! Hallelujah for the Foundling Museum. It deserves praise for every reason; for being the first UK children’s charity and public art gallery whose philanthropic work never ceases to inspire, and famously for recognising that music salves the soul and indeed has been the saviour of many poor souls throughout its long history. It was here that the esteemed George Frideric Handel performed his joyful Hallelujah Chorus in benefit concerts to help foundling children build a chapel where they could sing. Handel’s legacy lives on in the museum where a room is dedicated to his manuscripts and musical scores and traces the history behind his universally uplifting composition. The museum is celebrating their association with music throughout the building with archival displays of past pupils performing in choirs, as musicians and as storytellers. Music has empowered so many young lives through generous professional collaborations with the Foundling Hospital/Museum and continues to do so in the exhibition’s highlight, a major sound and video installation, We Are Together Because… directed by Greek/British artist Mikhail Karakis. This truly does confirm that music unites young people and is an emotional experience full of optimism.

IN THE KNOW Artists, past and present, have supported charitable works at the Foundling Museum, most notably William Hogarth, whose presence is still felt throughout, and more recently contemporary creatives like Dame Jacqueline Wilson and the author Lemn Sissay, who was himself placed, at the age of 12, in a series of children’s homes.