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| Armonico Consort | |
|---|---|
| Name | Armonico Consort |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Classical, Choral, Baroque, Opera |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Armonico Consort is a British ensemble founded in London that performs choral, orchestral and operatic repertoire across early music, Baroque, classical and contemporary works. The ensemble combines professional singers, instrumentalists and period specialists to present staged opera, concert programmes and education projects throughout Europe and North America. Its activities span concert series, recording projects, large-scale staged productions and community outreach.
Armonico Consort was established in 2001 by artistic directors with roots in London and connections to institutions such as Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal College of Music, English National Opera and BBC Symphony Orchestra. Early seasons drew on networks that included musicians from Academy of St Martin in the Fields, English Baroque Soloists, The Sixteen, Monteverdi Choir and King's College Choir, Cambridge. The ensemble's development involved collaborations with presenters like Southbank Centre, Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall and festivals such as Glyndebourne Festival Opera, BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and Cheltenham Music Festival. Tours expanded to venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall and international festivals in Salzburg Festival, Musikfest Berlin and Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Armonico Consort maintains a repertoire spanning Baroque music to contemporary commissions, performing works by composers including Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Benjamin Britten. The group's historically informed practice draws on research traditions connected to HIP movement, performers from Christopher Hogwood's circle, and scholarship at Oxford University and Cambridge University. Programmes often juxtapose works by Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldi, Arcangelo Corelli and Georg Philipp Telemann with contemporary pieces by composers such as Sir James MacMillan, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Tansy Davies and Philip Glass. The ensemble performs choral cycles, oratorios, staged Baroque opera and symphonic-choral repertoire, engaging soloists with backgrounds at Opernhaus Zürich, Royal Opera House, La Scala and Metropolitan Opera.
Major projects have included staged productions of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, concert stagings of Handel's Messiah, and multi-venue residencies producing Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Recording partners and labels have included outfits akin to Decca Records, Harmonia Mundi, Chandos Records and Hyperion Records, yielding discs of Baroque cantatas, choral anthologies and contemporary commissions. Notable recording projects featured collaborations with soloists from Royal Opera House and conductors associated with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Nicholas McGegan, Sir András Schiff and Sir Simon Rattle. Large-scale multimedia projects combined live performance with film-makers connected to BBC Television, Sky Arts and international broadcasters.
The ensemble's touring schedule has covered United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Austria, appearing in venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Palau de la Música Catalana and Teatro La Fenice. Long-term residencies have been established with cultural hubs including Southbank Centre, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and regional programmes in Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Gloucestershire. Education and outreach initiatives partnered with organizations like BBC Radio 3, Arts Council England, Royal Philharmonic Society and charities such as Music for Youth and Help Musicians UK to run workshops with youth choirs, conservatoires and community ensembles. Projects included cross-disciplinary work with National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and visual artists from Tate Modern collaborations.
Armonico Consort has commissioned new works from contemporary composers and collaborated with directors, choreographers and conductors from institutions like Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera and Royal Opera House. Collaborations extended to soloists who perform with Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and ensembles such as Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Concerto Köln. Commissioned composers have included figures associated with BBC Proms premieres and festival commissions, while staged projects engaged designers and directors with credits at National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre.
The ensemble and its productions have received recognition from awarding bodies and institutions including nominations and awards linked to Gramophone Awards, International Opera Awards, Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, BBC Music Magazine Awards and regional cultural prizes administered by Arts Council England. Critical acclaim has been recorded in outlets and institutions like The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, Gramophone (magazine) and broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. The group's educational impact has been acknowledged by partnerships with Music Education Hubs and civic honours from local councils in regions where residencies were based.
Category:British choirs Category:Early music ensembles