The flute has appeared in many guises over the ages, making it the orchestral instrument with the richest history. Here we will take a brief look at its story.
Read MorePats on backs all round for last week’s St Matthew Passion in London.
Read MoreIn the run-up to our St Matthew Passion concert, we interview counter-tenor Robin Blaze.
Read MoreAs you may or may not know, OAE is committed to environmental sustainability. We are so committed, in fact, that we are spending the whole week celebrating it alongside our office neighbours, the London Sinfonietta. Yes, that’s right: it’s Green Week.
Read MoreWe’re currently performing La Finta Giardiniera at Glyndebourne Opera House. Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about this Mozart opera, check it out and tell us about it!
Read MoreOur Marketing and Press Officer, Matthew Grindon, responsible for a lot of the content on this website and on social media, left the OAE team last week for pastures new. We put our Exit Interview questions to him…
Read MoreAs I will sadly be leaving the OAE this is my last arts blog, but stay tuned; my fantastic colleagues will be taking over and shall continue to bring you interesting things from the art world. I’ve really enjoyed doing this and so thanks to everyone who read it! (aka my mum). Only joking – my mum never reads it.
Read MoreOpera might have emerged as a form of art to entertain the rich and powerful, but it soon became used as a way to express political and social discontent. You might think such liberties are only a product of the 20th century, but the fact is kings and governments throughout history have trembled and even fallen because of Opera.
Read MoreBoyce’s Solomon – A Serenata was wildly popular in its day and even eclipsed Handel’s Messiah in the popularity stakes. But it’s libretto was perhaps slightly racy and it fell foul of later, more prudish, tastes.
Watch the video below for a sneak peek at our rehearsals.
Read MoreWhen Education Director Cherry Forbes calls you up about a project, you know it’s going to be something good and I’m laying my cards on the table – I’m not sure this one will be easily topped!
Read MoreWho doesn’t like a sing song from time to time? Impress your neighbours next time you’re in the shower with our handy phonetic guide to Ich ruf zu dir Jubilate Domino and Vater unser in Himmelreich by Praetorius, courtesy of Robert Howarth – both of which we perform this Friday at the Spitalfields Festival.
Read MoreFill your lunch hour with music next week, as we head to Spitalfields for a four-part series of pop-up performances.
Read MoreIn this week’s Current Distractions – surreal dogs, fun chocolate and a dormant crust of planetary mass that hasn’t spewed out anything hot in years.
Read MoreOn 12 June we close our Southbank 2013-2014 Season with Gamechangers: Mildly Rude?, so called for its inclusion of Boyce’s Solomon – A Serenata, which caused outrage when performed in front of Victorian audiences.
Read MoreSpitalfields! If it was an actual field you wouldn’t visit it, but it’s not, it’s a hive of cultural activity that we love, and this year we’re all over it.
Read MoreHis times: As was the case for most professional musicians at the time, the church shaped much of William Boyce’s early musical life. He sang at St Paul’s Cathedral in whose shadow he was born, before holding appointments as organist at a number of city churches and becoming Master of the King’s Music.
Read MoreDeputy Director of Development Harriet Lawrence takes charge of this week’s Current Distractions – and it’s a geek edition, featuring music in space, city stargazing, what happens when astronomy gets naughty and some xylophones.
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