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| Irish Baroque Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Name | Irish Baroque Orchestra |
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Baroque, Early music |
| Years active | 1996–present |
Irish Baroque Orchestra is a professional period-instrument ensemble based in Dublin, performing music of the Baroque and early Classical eras. Founded in 1996, the ensemble performs at venues across Ireland and internationally and records for specialist labels. The orchestra works regularly with soloists, conductors, and festivals across Europe and North America.
The ensemble was founded in 1996 by a coalition of early-music specialists and administrators inspired by the revival movements associated with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christopher Hogwood, John Eliot Gardiner, William Christie, and Ton Koopman; early patrons and partners included institutions such as Trinity College Dublin, Royal Irish Academy of Music, National Gallery of Ireland, Wexford Festival Opera and Kilkenny Arts Festival. Early seasons featured collaborations with period ensembles influenced by practices from Concentus Musicus Wien, Les Arts Florissants, The English Concert, and Academy of Ancient Music while engaging soloists with backgrounds from Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Conservatoire de Paris. The orchestra developed a national profile through residencies and partnerships with venues including Civic Theatre (Tallaght), National Concert Hall (Dublin), Cork Opera House, and touring projects with organisations such as Arts Council of Ireland and Culture Ireland.
Artistic leadership has combined principal conductors, artistic directors, and guest leaders drawn from the European early-music scene such as directors trained alongside figures like Jordi Savall, Paul McCreesh, Fabio Biondi, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and collaborators from institutions such as Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Royal College of Music. Musicians have included specialists in period violin, viola, cello, baroque bass, theorbo, harpsichord, organ, traverso, oboe da caccia and baroque trumpet drawn from ensembles like Les Talens Lyriques, La Petite Bande, Il Giardino Armonico, and Bach Collegium Japan. The orchestra's roster has featured players who trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, Royal Irish Academy of Music, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Administrative and artistic staff have worked with funding and governance partners such as Arts Council England, Heritage Council (Ireland), European Cultural Foundation, and Irish Research Council.
The ensemble's repertoire ranges from Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Schütz through Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, Georg Friedrich Händel, Domenico Scarlatti, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Johann Sebastian Bach to early Classical composers such as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They have recorded works for labels influenced by discographies of Harmonia Mundi, Decca Classics, Accent Records, BIS Records and Hyperion Records and have released programmes including concerti, cantatas, oratorios, and chamber works. Projects have included historically informed editions, reconstruction of lost continuo parts, and recordings using reconstructed instruments from workshops associated with Christopher Hogwood and luthiers inspired by Antonio Stradivari and Giovanni Battista Guadagnini traditions.
The orchestra performs a regular season in Dublin and tours nationally to venues and festivals such as Galway International Arts Festival, Belfast Festival at Queen's, Dublin International Piano Festival, and regional series in Limerick, Kilkenny, Waterford and Sligo. International appearances have included invitations to present programmes at Edinburgh International Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Musica Antiqua Bruges, Warsaw Autumn and concert halls associated with Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall through collaborative projects. The ensemble participates in liturgical performances in historic sites such as Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, St Canice's Cathedral and continental churches linked to Notre-Dame de Paris and St. Mark's Basilica, Venice.
Education programmes have included workshops, masterclasses, and residencies with conservatoires such as Royal Irish Academy of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and youth initiatives in partnership with Music Generation, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, and city councils including Dublin City Council and Cork City Council. Outreach formats have ranged from participatory baroque dance sessions referencing choreographers allied to Jean-Georges Noverre to school concerts drawing on curriculum links with Department of Education (Ireland) and community engagement with organisations such as Sing Ireland and Age & Opportunity.
The orchestra has collaborated with opera companies and theatre-makers including Wexford Festival Opera, Opera Theatre Company (Ireland), Dublin Theatre Festival, and contemporary composers and ensembles such as Donnacha Dennehy, Seóirse Bodley, John Cage-inspired projects, and commissions from cultural bodies like Arts Council of Ireland and Culture Ireland. Collaborations have extended to historically informed choreographers, visual artists working with National Gallery of Ireland and filmmakers associated with Irish Film Board for staged and recorded projects.
The ensemble has received recognition from national and international institutions including awards and nominations connected with Meteor Music Awards, IRELAND Music Awards, and critical acclaim in publications tied to The Irish Times, The Guardian, Gramophone (magazine), and prizes from grant-makers such as Arts Council of Ireland and cultural awards linked to European Cultural Foundation and An Chomhairle Ealaíon. The orchestra's recordings and productions have been shortlisted for distinctions associated with International Classical Music Awards and featured in critics' lists from organisations like BBC Music Magazine.
Category:Early music groups Category:Irish orchestras