H+H Programming Consultant Reginald Mobley Nominated for Grammy Award
His Album ‘Because’ In Consideration for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
(Boston) H+H Programming Consultant and renowned countertenor Reginald Mobley’s critically acclaimed first solo album “Because” was just nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category. Mobley partnered with renowned jazz pianist Baptiste Trotignon for the album which is a collection of Spirituals and songs written in and around the Harlem Renaissance. The winner of the Grammy will be announced Sunday, February 4th, 2024.
A native of Florida, Mobley studied at the University of Florida in Gainesville with Jean Ronald LaFond and at the Florida State University in Tallahassee with Roy Delp. He started his classical music career as a member of twice GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Seraphic Fire and has appeared with symphony orchestras and at festivals across the world.
At the Handel and Haydn Society, he had the honor of becoming the first Black person to lead H+H in its Bicentennial year. He was the co-creator with Anthony Trecek-King of the Handel and Haydn Society’s acclaimed exploration of the connections between Handel and the creation of the American Spiritual in Crossing the Deep. He also curated Every Voice, a series of concerts by H+H which highlighted the contributions of composers from historically overlooked or marginalized groups. Mobley personally commissioned composer Jonathan Woody to create “Nigra Sum Sed Formosa – I am Black But Beautiful (A fantasia on microaggressions),” which H+H premiered in 2019, and he later urged H+H to commission a composition from Woody based on the works of Ignatius Sancho, a British composer of African descent. Last summer, Mobley sang during the coronation of King Charles III of England. Mobley will be back with H+H February 2 + 4, as a featured soloist for British Baroque, a program he co-curated with renowned Baroque violinist Rachel Podger.
“Reggie has been a driving force for H+H, constantly coming up with new ways to explore often overlooked aspects of classical and baroque music. His genius and passion are on full display with ‘Because” and we are proud to celebrate his well deserved success,” said David Snead, Philip and Marjorie Gerdine President and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society.
A strong devotion to social and political activism is part of Mobley’s everyday life, adding to his strength in reaching diverse communities and has helped focus a desire to make a difference within the arts, particularly on inequality issues regarding race, gender, and sexuality within the classical music industry.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society is dedicated to performing Baroque and Classical music with a freshness, a vitality, and a creativity that inspires all ages. H+H has been captivating audiences for 209 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States). Today, H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 50,000 listeners annually with a nine-week subscription series at Boston Symphony Hall and other leading venues. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Education Program, H+H supports seven youth choirs of singers in grades 2-12 and provides thousands of complimentary tickets to students and communities throughout Boston, ensuring the joy of music is accessible to all. H+H’s numerous free community concerts include an annual commemoration of the original 1863 Emancipation Proclamation concert on December 31. H+H has released 16 CDs on the Coro label and has toured nationally and internationally. In all these ways, H+H fulfills its mission to inspire the intellect, touch the heart, elevate the soul, and connect us with our shared humanity through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music.
