ARMONICO CONSORT

Armonico Consort has established itself among the foremost interpreters of Baroque and Renaissance music. Nurturing younger professional singers in addition to working alongside well-established artists, and accompanied by some of the finest instrumentalists from this country and abroad, the Consort is much in demand from major festivals across the UK and in Europe.

Its critically successful Wigmore Hall debut featured newly discovered music by Francesco Scarlatti. The CD of the same programme marked the start of a partnership the Deux-Elles label. Gramophone Magazine chose this CD as one of the top five choral releases of 2004. Nick Bailey of Classic FM hailed it as ‘quite stunning’, and Barry Millington of The Evening Standard greeted the disc as ‘truly ravishing’.

Armonico Consort has gained a reputation for staging concerts in atmospheric settings. Its wide-ranging programmes include 16th-century polyphony; A Christmas in Venice with the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble; the Bach Passions and Baroque opera; Romantic music such as Rachmaninov Vespers as well as works of contemporary composers. In 2004, the Consort was privileged to join Evelyn Glennie performing the world premiere of Jonathan Girling’s ‘The Long Lost Son’ at the Exeter, Oundle and Warwick Festivals. This has led to plans to tour and record with Evelyn Glennie and the UNESCO World Children’s Choir.

In addition, Armonico Consort has established a Baroque Opera touring company, beginning with Purcell’s Fairy Queen. This spectacular new production, directed by Thomas Guthrie, was first hosted by the 2005 Salisbury International Festival and The Three Choirs Festival.

2005 also saw the Consort’s popularity spread to mainland Europe, and the launch of its international touring career performing the Italian premiere of music by Francesco Scarlatti in Naples. The Consort’s CDs are already sold in 5 different continents.

Armonico Consort believes that every child in this country is entitled to a free, first-class musical education. To fulfil this aim it has established a thriving education outreach programme, directed by the country’s finest workshop leaders. Over 10,000 children have so far benefited from these workshops, which have received critical acclaim from LEAs, Arts Council England, teachers and pupils, and the media. Due to the unprecedented success of the initially Midlands-based programme, Armonico now offers these workshops across the country. The Consort also operates a scheme for young professional singers and post-graduate students, offering them the opportunity to perform alongside well-established artists such as Evelyn Glennie and Emma Kirkby, both patrons of the Consort.

ORCHESTRA OF THE BAROQUE

Orchestra of the Baroque is a new professional Baroque orchestra, founded in April 2003 by Armonico Consort. It draws exclusively from the country's finest players to form a first-class period instrument orchestra, who will work principally with Armonico Consort. In addition to performing with Armonico Consort in concerts, tours, broadcasts and recordings, Orchestra of the Baroque is already much in demand by other organisations, and it is expected that they will perform in around 15 concerts each year. Future programmes include Bach St. John & St. Matthew Passions, Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, a gala concert with Emma Kirkby, Vivaldi's Four Seasons and a fully staged version of Purcell's Fairy Queen with Armonico Consort.