Messiah Fund

In 2025, inspired by the philanthropic origins of Handel’s Messiah, WCF partnered with Worcester Festival Choral Society to create a Messiah Fund. Funds raised from their annual performance of Messiah will support local causes for children and young people, education, health and wellbeing.

Handel premiered his Messiah in Dublin in April 1742 which benefited several local charities. It inspired the creation of The Rotunda Hospital, the world’s first purpose-built maternity hospital, still in operation today. Handel continued this charitable association by conducting annual performances of Messiah at London’s Foundling Hospital, a charitable institution for abandoned children. These concerts raised substantial funds and increased public awareness of the hospital’s mission, which included Handel overseeing the musical education of the children in its care.