Members of the H+H Chorus at the Emancipation Proclamation Concert.

Every year the Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) and the Museum of African American History ring in the new year with the Emancipation Proclamation Concert, commemorating the proclamation during the Civil War that began the process of ending slavery.

The performance harkens back to the Grand Jubilee Concert held by H+H on Jan. 1, 1863, to first celebrate the proclamation. One hundred sixty-three years later, the orchestra continually makes a point to highlight that history.

This year the concert is held in conjunction with the MA250 celebration of the anniversary of the Revolutionary War. To that end, H+H resident conductor Anthony Trecek-King designed the program to represent the period between 1776, when Americans declared independence from Britain, and 1865 when enslaved people were officially freed.

“We’ll be bringing in pre-Revolutionary music, because a lot of the pre-Revolutionary music and Revolutionary music speaks of freedom,” said Trecek-King.

Some of that pre-Revolutionary music includes spirituals like “Go Down, Moses.” Later spirituals like “Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Stayed on Freedom” will also be performed.

This annual concert is an opportunity for H+H to depart from the more standard Baroque lineup it adheres to during the regular season. Trecek-King says the group will perform a song from the 2019 film “Harriet” about Harriet Tubman as well as “The Liberty Song,” a pre-Revolutionary naval tune adapted to Revolutionary purposes by John Dickinson.

In addition to the music, attendees can look forward to hearing Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson read the proclamation.

“It’s always one of my favorite moments in the concert,” said Trecek-King. “It kind of takes us back into history for a bit, and we can kind of remove ourselves from today and just try to imagine what that would feel like.”

The Emancipation Proclamation Concert is free and open to the public. It takes place December 31 at 1 p.m. at Trinity Church with seating on a first-come basis. The event is popular, so plan to arrive early for the best seats.

Trecek-King hopes this peek into history will be an opportunity for audiences to reflect on the strides that have been made toward equity and the work still to be done.

“It’s essentially sold out every year, and I think that’s a testament to what people want to see and hear and be a part of,” said Trecek-King. “It’s not a concert, it’s an experience. It’s a chance for us to remember our history.”

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