The London Sinfonietta is one of the world's elite contemporary music ensembles with a reputation built on the virtuosity of its performances and ambitious programming. It is committed to placing new music at the heart of contemporary culture and pushing boundaries, through regular collaborations with choreographers, video artists, film-makers and commissioning new work. Since its foundation in 1968 it has commissioned or premiered over 200 works. 2008 world premieres include new pieces by Karin Rehnqvist, Thomas Adès and Silvina Milstein.
Since September 2008 London Sinfonietta has established its headquarters at Kings Place and in addition to performing here, has already formed collaborations with Kings Place resident Pangolin Editions, see Rock Music, Rock Art and will run education and outreach programmes from Kings Place.
The London Sinfonietta is a Resident Orchestra of Southbank Centre in London and performs regularly at venues and festivals throughout the UK and worldwide. The ensemble has an acclaimed discography available on numerous prestigious labels and its own London Sinfonietta Label.
www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk
Conductor Laureate: Oliver Knussen CBE
Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre
London Sinfonietta performs with the support of Arts Council England (logo)
Principal Artists: Iván Fischer, Vladimir Jurowski and Sir Simon Rattle
It's 1986. For some ten years there has existed a largely London-based core of players of baroque instruments who have played for bands run autonomously by experts. Confidence and standards have improved greatly. Music making has been transformed.
And then a group of players forms a self-governing orchestra of period instruments - the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE). There's no single conductor. Instead, conductors or directors from violin or keyboard are appointed on a concert-by-concert basis. The OAE is quickly recognised as special, and the recording industry clasps it to its bosom.
Twenty-two years later the OAE is now a Resident at London's Southbank Centre as well as Associate Orchestra at Glyndebourne, and having been active in the Kings Cross area for several years with an array of education projects, the OAE are establishing their Headquarters at Kings Place from September 2008. The Orchestra will rehearse and perform at Kings Place and continue to undertake education projects in the local area, marking a new chapter in the OAE's development.
© Stephen Pettitt
