The Foundling Museum’s autumn exhibition, A Grand Chorus: The Power of Music, will explore the life-affirming power of music through the lens of Handel’s iconic Hallelujah Chorus, exploring music as a positive force for empowering individuals and communities.

Bringing together scores and librettos, as well as paintings, drawings, photographs, video and audio recordings, and other archival material spanning three centuries, the exhibition will take a fresh look at the Hallelujah Chorus – its origins and enduring popularity – as well as reflect on the impact of music on the lives of former Foundlings and care-experienced individuals.

The exhibition will also showcase a major sound and video installation by visual artist Mikhail Karikis, We are Together Because… (2025), the first time the work has been presented in the UK. Featuring a powerful collaborative anthem for a new generation, and paying homage to another composer Pauline Oliveros – who described deep listening as an act of empathy and environmental awareness – Karikis’s work can be imagined as a contemporary counterpart to the Hallelujah Chorus.

Image: Mikhail Karikis, We are Together Because…, 2025 Film Still © Mikhail Karikis