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From our UK regional touring to our work here with the students of Acland Burghley School, we’re always striving to keep music alive and accessible for all. We are redefining what it means to be an orchestra in the 2020s – and can’t do it without your support. Find out the ways that you can support and become a part of this story below.

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The first page of Bach's autograph manuscript for the Ascension Day Cantata

Oxford, Sheldonian Theatre

Bach 1725

Wed 7 May 2025

A unique event marking 300 years since the composition and first performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s 1725 Ascension…
The Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, a large building constructed in 1870, photographed at night

Vienna, Musikverein

Schumann in Vienna

Sun 11 May 2025

Our European tour of Schumann's Piano Concerto with Sir András Schiff begins in the famous 'Golden Hall' at…
The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam viewed from the Museumplein by day

Amsterdam, Concertgebouw

Schumann in Amsterdam

Sat 17 May 2025

We perform Schumann's Piano Concerto with Sir András Schiff as part of the renowned Saturday Matinee series at…

Munich, Herkulessaal der Residenz

Schumann in Munich

Sun 18 May 2025

Schumann's Piano Concerto in the surroundings of the former royal palace of Bavaria's monarchs.

Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie

Schumann in Hamburg

Tue 20 May 2025

The last stop on our tour of Schumann's Piano Concerto is Hamburg's magnificent Elbphilharmonie.

London, Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall

Schumann’s Piano Concerto

Thu 22 May 2025

The remarkable Sir András Schiff sprinkles fantasy and magic as he performs the most romantic of piano concertos.

Tufnell Park, Acland Burghley School, Assembly Hall

Enchanted Tots in Tufnell Park

Sun 1 Jun 2025

Travel back in time for a family concert featuring beautiful music from the 17th and 18th Centuries, singing, dancing and interactive wizardry.

Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

The Magic Flute and The Bird That Would Be Free

Thu 26 Jun 2025

A high-spirited family show based on Mozart's The Magic Flute.

London, Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall

OAE TOTS: Enchanted Tots

Sat 28 Jun 2025

Travel back in time for a family concert featuring beautiful music from the 17th and 18th Centuries, singing, dancing and interactive wizardry.

Edinburgh

Patrons' Trip to Edinburgh

Wed 20 – Thu 21 Aug 2025

Join us for a serene getaway to Edinburgh to view 'Breaking Bach' at the Edinburgh International Festival

Edinburgh, Usher Hall

Breaking Bach at Edinburgh International Festival

Wed 20 Aug 2025

We're breaking the code of the dance rhythms in Bach's music.

Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Solomon

Sun 12 Oct 2025

Solomon is among the most human and spectacular of Handel’s oratorios. Nardus Williams is the versatile soprano soloist, singing three roles: Solomon’s Queen, the First Harlot and Nicaule, the Queen of Sheba.

Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Haydn: From Esterháza to Hanover Square

Thu 27 Nov 2025

Sir András Schiff explores the thrilling contrasts of Haydn's musical personality: from the electrifying 'storm and stress' era via an encounter with Hungarian folk music to the refinement of his London residencies.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Mozart's World: A Little Night Music

Sun 1 Feb 2026

Three composers whose are curiously linked by a date and entanglement. Two of Mozart’s most enduringly popular orchestral pieces are framed by music from his friend Michael Haydn and the ‘Spanish Mozart’ Juan Arriaga, born 50 years to the day after Mozart.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

It Shall Certainly Not Bend and Crush Me Completely

Sun 8 Feb 2026

Adam Fischer conducts Beethoven’s defiant Fifth. Its finale is triumphantly reinforced by the appearance of trombones, piccolo and contrabassoon for the first time in a symphony. It is paired with the lively Fourth, once described by Berlioz as having a “celestial sweetness”.

London, Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall

Mozart's World: The Last Symphonies

Thu 26 Feb 2026

Through the summer of 1788 Mozart was consumed in a burst of inspiration. The result was the three remarkable symphonies that turned out to be his last. Rarely heard together, Robin Ticciati takes us inside Mozart’s bold, stormy and divine creations.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

St John Passion

Sun 29 Mar 2026

Johanna Soller makes her UK debut in Bach’s soulful St John Passion. The Artistic Director of the Munich Bach Choir has been praised for her unique combination of emotion, focused energy and intelligence.

London, Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall

The Creation

Wed 27 May 2026

A cosmic journey from the dark depths of the Universe to gorgeous dawn in the Garden of Eden. Václav Luks directs Haydn's masterpiece inspired by the great oratorios of Handel.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Life of the Sea

Wed 3 Jun 2026

On a popular chat show a great maritime explorer is interviewed about his life at sea and, most importantly, his new discovery... a hitherto unknown island in the middle of the Pacific.

London, Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall

Symphonie fantastique

Wed 10 Jun 2026

Sir Simon Rattle commands a cast of fantastical characters in a double bill of symphonies. Berlioz’s powerful, poetic music sets visions whirling of wandering poets, enchanting women, shepherds, an execution procession and witches.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Vienna 1897: Brahms' Last Concert

Wed 24 Jun 2026

“Today you will hear a real piece!” So declared Brahms to his companion of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto before attending what we believe was his last concert, which also included his own Fourth Symphony. Two good friends of the OAE, Steven Isserlis and Maxim Emelyanychev, join for the finale of our season in celebration the OAE’s 40th Anniversary.
Violinist Julia Kuhn in front of the words THE NIGHT SHIFT on a teal background

Islington, The Old Queen's Head

The Night Shift Back at The Old Queen's Head

Wed 23 Apr 2025

A time travelling tour of the British Isles and Ireland with violinist Julia Kuhn, singer Bethany Horak-Hallet and…

Amsterdam, The Concertgebouw

Bach: St Matthew Passion in Amsterdam

Tue 8 Apr 2025

Under Jonathan Cohen’s direction, the St Matthew Passion delivers a gripping drama of Jesus’ final hours, showcasing Bach’s most profound musical testimony from intimate grief to monumental crowd scenes.

Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music

Bach: St Matthew Passion in Budapest

Mon 7 Apr 2025

Under Jonathan Cohen’s direction, the St Matthew Passion delivers a gripping drama of Jesus’ final hours, showcasing Bach’s most profound musical testimony from intimate grief to monumental crowd scenes.

London, Middle Temple Hall

Handel Knights!

Sat 5 Apr 2025

Join us for a musical party and a very special collaboration as part of the London Handel Festival…

London, Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall

Bach: St Matthew Passion

Thu 3 Apr 2025

From intimate grief to monumental crowd scenes, the St Matthew Passion is Bach's most profound musical testimony.

Tufnell Park, Acland Burghley School Assembly Hall

Community Open Rehearsal: St Matthew Passion

Wed 2 Apr 2025

Listen in to the Orchestra rehearsing one of Bach's most intense pieces for solo singers, choir and orchestra.

Scarborough, Church of St Martin-on-the-Hill

Bach & Vivaldi in Yorkshire, Scarborough

Sat 29 Mar 2025

The second day of Baroque music in the beautiful surrounding's of one of Yorkshire's most beautiful churches.

Norton, St Peter's Church

Bach & Vivaldi in Yorkshire, Norton

Fri 28 Mar 2025

The first evening in Yorkshire featuring Baroque delights of the 17th Century.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Das Jahr - The Year

Sun 23 Mar 2025

Olga Pashchenko showcases Fanny Mendelssohn's cycle of piano pieces describing the passage of a year, within a reimagining for period instrument orchestra by four contemporary composers: Roxanna Panufnik, Electra Perivolaris, Freya Waley-Cohen and Errollyn Wallen.

Tufnell Park, Acland Burghley School Assembly Hall

Community Open Rehearsal: Das Jahr - The Year

Sat 22 Mar 2025

Hear four new pieces inspired by one of the 19th Century's hidden gems.
A silhouette of the clarinettist Anton Stadler on a lime background with the words THE NIGHT SHIFT in teal.

Brixton, Blues Kitchen

The Night Shift at Brixton Blues Kitchen

Wed 19 Mar 2025

The Basset of Buddies: Mozart, his friends, their clarinets, and some basset horns.

London, Kings Place

Bach, the Universe and Everything: Lost in Both Time and Space

Sun 16 Mar 2025

In our final concert of the season we take a journey to some amazing exoplanets and Bach transports…

Tufnell Park, Acland Burghley School, Assembly Hall

OAE TOTS: A Day at the Pond

Sun 16 Mar 2025

Immerse little ones into the magic of music and dance through the world of the pond.

Theatre Royal Haymarket

Supporters' Trip: 'The Score' starring Brian Cox

Thu 13 Mar 2025

Join us at the Theatre Royal Haymarket to witness the critically acclaimed play 'The Score' staring Brian Cox as J.S Bach.
Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev is conducting the OAE in the Royal Festival Hall.

London, Southbank Centre

Music's frames and information: Open University Study Day 2025

Thu 27 Feb 2025

The OAE is delighted to welcome the Open University for this annual Study Day.
Violinist Vilde Frang wearing a blue dress sitting in front of a mirror

Antwerp, Queen Elisabeth Hall

Beethoven in Antwerp

Wed 26 Feb 2025

Two works that capture the rebellious spirit and heroism of the first years of the 19th Century with…

Tufnell Park, Acland Burghley School Assembly Hall

Community Open Rehearsal: Beethoven

Tue 25 Feb 2025

A chance to observe the Orchestra at work with violinist Vilde Frang and conductor Maxim Emelyanychev.

London, Kings Place

Bach, the Universe and Everything: Lunar Trailblazers

Sun 16 Feb 2025

In the penultimate edition of Bach, the Universe and Everything, we consider our changing views of the Moon and exciting discoveries on the horizon with NASA's new Lunar Trailblazer mission.

Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire Music Centre

OAE Experience Ensemble: Symphonies and Stories

Sun 16 Feb 2025

Discover the sound of history and the music of the 18th century with the OAE Experience Ensemble.
Violinist Henry Tong standing in front of a wall - the words THE NIGHT SHIFT are written on the photo

Chalk Farm, The Fiddler's Elbow

The Night Shift at The Fiddler's Elbow

Tue 11 Feb 2025

Breaking News: Mozart has just dropped a new trio. We bring you a Night Shift inside scoop...

Sheffield, Sheffield City Hall

Baroquebusters in Sheffield

Fri 7 Feb 2025

A baroque-tastic evening exploring why the masterpieces of the 18th Century became so popular and why these tunes…
Actress Simon Ibbott-Browne as The Fairy Queen - she wears a black dress with large gold semi-circles and is raising her arms above her head as she sings.

Consett, Empire

The Fairy Queen in Consett

Wed 5 – Thu 6 Feb 2025

We return to the Fairy Queen's Magical Forest... now mysteriously relocated to beautiful County Durham.

Darlington, Darlington Hippodrome

Baroquebusters in Darlington

Tue 4 Feb 2025

We're thrilled to return to the Hipp in Darlington with another feast of hits by the most famous…
The US Capitol building illuminated at night

Washington DC, Library of Congress

The Golden Age of the Baroque US Tour in Washington DC

Fri 24 Jan 2025

The last concert of our US tour takes us to the heart of the Capitol.
Singer Julia Bullock sitting in front of an abstract painting

New York, 92NY

The Golden Age of the Baroque US Tour in New York

Thu 23 Jan 2025

We make our debut at 92NY as our US tour lands on the East Coast.
Singer Julia Bullock in a red dress

Berkeley, Zellerbach Hall

The Golden Age of the Baroque US Tour in Berkeley

Sun 19 Jan 2025

We take the greatest hits of the Baroque to California as we embark on our first tour of…

London, Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall

OAE TOTS: Puzzle Tots

Sun 12 Jan 2025

A family concert inspired by puzzles featuring music from the 17th and 18th Centuries.

Saffron Walden, Saffron Hall

A Journey Through Baroque at Saffron Hall

Sat 11 Jan 2025

Julia Bullock brings the vocal fireworks to an evening celebrating the Greatest Hits of the 18th Century with a performance at Saffron Walden.

Tufnell Park, Acland Burghley School Assembly Hall

Community Open Rehearsal: Baroquebusters

Wed 8 Jan 2025

Ever had a classical earworm? This is 45 minutes that might explain a bit more...

London, Acland Burghley School, Assembly Hall (The Hex)

Teatime Tots: Puzzles

Sun 5 Jan 2025

A family concert inspired by puzzles featuring music from the 17th and 18th Centuries.

London, Smith Square Hall

Messiah with Polyphony

Mon 23 Dec 2024

A very special festive performance of Handel’s most popular oratorio.

London, Smith Square Hall

Christmas Oratorio with Polyphony

Sun 22 Dec 2024

Head into the festive weekend with an evening of Bach and Corelli as part of the Sinfonia Smith…

London, King's Place

Bach, the Universe and Everything: Space Animals

Sun 15 Dec 2024

For our pre-Christmas edition of Bach, the Universe and Everything, we are joined by Helen Arney – science communicator, comedian, songwriter and 33.33% of The Festival of the Spoken Nerd.

Kings Place, Rotunda

Post-Concert Lunch with Helen Arney

Sun 15 Dec 2024

Deliberate over cosmic theories and Bach with our guest speaker Helen Arney.

The Ninth, 22 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2NB

Chair & CEO's Lunch with Annette Isserlis and John Butt

Wed 27 Nov 2024

This intimate gathering offers a unique opportunity to hear firsthand about the creative process behind OAE's upcoming season and a chance to connect with the musicians, special guests and artistic committee who shape our artistic direction. Please note that booking is not available via the website. By invitation only.

London, King's Place

Bach, the Universe and Everything: X-Ray Planets

Sun 24 Nov 2024

Bach, the Universe and Everything continues with one of Bach's best-known cantatas, Wachet auf, ruf uns die Stimme.

Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire Music Centre

The Brandenburg Concertos On Tour in Wiltshire

Wed 20 Nov 2024

Bach's groundbreaking 'Concertos for several instruments' puts the collective virtuosity of the OAE in the spotlight for one last time in the final concert of our tour.

Shadwell, The George Tavern

The Night Shift at The George Tavern

Tue 19 Nov 2024

Get yourself ready for a cheap night at the opera! for one night only we bring all the style and revelry of the opera house to an east London inn.

Oxford, Sheldonian Theatre

The Brandenburg Concertos On Tour in Oxford

Sun 17 Nov 2024

Bach's groundbreaking 'Six Concertos for several instruments' put the collective virtuosity of the OAE in the spotlight.

Saffron Walden, Saffron Hall

The Brandenburg Concertos On Tour in Saffron Walden

Sat 16 Nov 2024

Bach's groundbreaking 'Concertos for several instruments' puts the collective virtuosity of the OAE in the spotlight as the tour comes to Saffron Hall.

Portsmouth, Portsmouth Guildhall

The Brandenburg Concertos on Tour in Portsmouth

Thu 14 Nov 2024

Bach's groundbreaking 'Concertos for several instruments' puts the collective virtuosity of the OAE in the spotlight as the tour comes to Portsmouth.

Artists Bar - Backstage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall

Post-Concert Reception with Brandenburg Soloists

Wed 13 Nov 2024

Join the Brandenburg soloists for drinks and fascinating discussions after the concert backstage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Côte Royal Festival Hall – Festival Terrace, Southbank Centre, London SE1

Pre-concert dinner with Lisa Beznosiuk, David Blackadder and Rachel Beckett

Wed 13 Nov 2024

Begin your exploration of the Brandenburg Concertos with some of our players to gain an insight into Bach's enigmatic Brandenburg Concertos before the concert.

Basingstoke, The Anvil

The Brandenburg Concertos On Tour in Basingstoke

Tue 12 Nov 2024

Bach's groundbreaking 'Six Concertos for several instruments' puts the collective virtuosity of the OAE in the spotlight with a performance of the complete set at The Anvil.
Photo taken through reflective glass of musicians from the OAE Experience Ensemble at Heath Street Baptist Church in Hampstead

Hampstead, Heath Street Baptist Church

Only Overtures!

Sun 10 Nov 2024

Join us on a musical tour around the Holy Roman Empire with musicians from the OAE Experience Ensemble.

Manchester, The Bridgewater Hall

The Brandenburg Concertos On Tour in Manchester

Tue 5 Nov 2024

Bach's groundbreaking 'Six Concertos for several instruments' puts the collective virtuosity of the OAE in the spotlight with a performance of the complete set in Manchester.

Tufnell Park, Acland Burghley School Assembly Hall

Community Open Rehearsal: Brandenburg Concertos

Mon 4 Nov 2024

Come and hear the final rehearsal for our national tour of Bach's ever-popular Brandenburg Concertos.

The Finchcocks Charity Ltd, 51 Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5LE

Friends Trip to The Richard Burnett Collection

Tue 29 Oct 2024

This private tour of The Richard Burnett Collection will be led by our own principal keyboard player, Steven…

Cambridge, Clare College Great Hall

Henry Purcell - A Celebration

Tue 29 Oct 2024

We join the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge to celebrate the music of Henry Purcell, England’s most significant…

London, King's Place

Bach, the Universe and Everything: Mapping the Dark Universe

Sun 27 Oct 2024

We are joined by Catherine Heymans, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, for a special season opener which includes a cantata premiered almost exactly 300 years ago.

Islington, The Old Queen's Head

The Night Shift at The Old Queen's Head

Mon 21 Oct 2024

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? The Night Shift does a little bit of reappraising history with music by Buxtehude, Meister and Jacquet de La Guerre.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

Sun 13 Oct 2024

We mark the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner's birth with principal artist Adam Fischer.

Linz, Brucknerhaus

Internationales BrucknerFest 24 with Adam Fischer

Tue 8 Oct 2024

We're honoured to be part of the annual programme in this anniversary year at the concert hall named after Bruckner in his home city.

Kings Cross, The Water Rats

The Night Shift at The Water Rats

Mon 23 Sep 2024

Join us to raise a glass to a new season of The Night Shift with a pre-Oktoberfest treat.
A duo-tone portrait photo of conductor Antonello Manacorda, a white man in his 50s with cropped hair and a beard

London, Royal Albert Hall

FARRENC AND BEETHOVEN AT BBC PROMS

Fri 13 Sep 2024

Trailblazing Third Symphonies with Antonello Manacorda at the penultimate night of the 'world's greatest classical music festival'.
A duo-tone portrait photo of conductor Antonello Manacorda, a white man in his 50s with cropped hair and a beard

Ognisko Restaurant, 55 Exhibition Rd, London

Post-Prom Patrons' Party

Fri 13 Sep 2024

Patrons and performers celebrated the penultimate night of the ‘world’s greatest classical music festival’ at the Ognisko restaurant in the Polish Club.

Acland Burghley School, Assembly Hall (The Hex)

Teatime Baroque

Sun 8 Sep 2024

Join us for tea and meet the OAE Experience Ensemble as they perform baroque delights.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Beethoven: Hero/Rebel

Thu 27 Feb 2025

As the dream of liberty promised by Napoleon crumbled to dust, Beethoven faced his own personal struggles.

London, Kings Place

Bach, the Universe and Everything: Sustainable Space

Sun 19 Jan 2025

Joanne Wheeler, director of the Earth Space Sustainability Initiative, talks about the urgent work of protecting the surprisingly limited space around our Earth for future generations in this new year edition of Bach, the Universe and Everything.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Baroquebusters

Thu 9 Jan 2025

Julia Bullock brings the vocal fireworks to an evening celebrating the Greatest Hits of the 18th Century.

Basingstoke, The Anvil

Enigma Variations at The Anvil

Fri 6 Jun 2025

The electrifying Dinis Sousa conducts the work that made Elgar an international name with a performance at The Anvil.

London, Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall

Enigma Variations

Wed 4 Jun 2025

Few pieces are as shrouded in mystery as the 'Enigma Variations' with its hidden theme, the 'dark saying' that 'must be left unguessed'.

London, Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Supporters' Open Rehearsal: Das Jahr - The Year

Sun 23 Mar 2025

Available to all Supporting, Bronze, Silver and Gold Friends & Patrons.
Article
  • Composers

5 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Beethoven's 7th Symphony

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Think you know Beethoven's 7th Symphony inside-out? Check out your knowledge with seven facts you may not already know.
Article
  • Composers

5 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Corelli

Friday 9 August 2019

Think you know everything there is to know about Corelli? Check you knowledge with a few facts you may not have known.
Article
  • Composers

5 Things you (Probably) Didn't Know About Handel

Tuesday 23 July 2019

We've taken a look at a few things you might not already know about Handel.
Article
  • Composers

5 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Haydn

Wednesday 7 August 2019

Here’s a list of 5 things you might not already know about the composer…
Article
  • Composers

5 Things you (Probably) Didn't Know about Michael Haydn

Wednesday 28 August 2019

We’re all very familiar with Joseph Haydn. However, his little brother Michael was also something of a musical genius. Get to grips with the basics of our unsung hero here.
Article
  • Composers

5 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Vivaldi

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Check out five things you (probably) didn’t know about Antonio.
Article
  • Composers

5 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About William Boyce

Friday 9 August 2019

Think you know old Bill inside out? Read on to discover some things you (probably) didn't know.
Article
  • Composers

5 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Henry Purcell

Thursday 12 August 2021

Some little known facts about the 17th century English composer and the future musicians he inspired.
Article
  • Composers

7 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Rameau

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Here are seven things you (probably) didn’t know about composer Jean-Philippe Rameau.
Article
  • Composers

10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Handel's Messiah

Friday 9 August 2019

Here are ten things you (probably) didn’t know about this amazing piece.
Article
  • Composers

10 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Franz Schubert

Friday 22 July 2016

Some little known facts about the great Austrian composer and his vast collection of work.
Article
  • Acland Burghley
  • Education

17,967 reasons to be cheerful

Wednesday 25 October 2023

We’ve just released our 2022/23 ‘Annual Review’ of our Education work. Discover the impact we’ve been having from Durham to Plymouth.

2024/25 Southbank Centre Season

Enigmas have always nourished the human imagination.
A picture of a mahogany-coloured grand piano made by the Erard piano company.
Article

A 'Mendelssohn' piano

Thursday 20 March 2025

Could the fortepiano being played in our Das Jahr concert once have belonged to Felix Mendelssohn?*

ABO Conference 2025 Presentation Resources

Thank you for attending our session at the ABO Conference. We hope you will find the resources below…
Members of the OAE taking a final bow at a concert in the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

Access

Everyone is welcome at our concerts and events and we are working to improve access.
Article
  • Composers

Aci, Galatea e Polifemo

Thursday 15 July 2021

When Handel wrote Aci, Galatea e Polifemo he was in his mid-twenties and living in Italy.

Adam Fischer

Principal Artist
Article
  • Interview

A Day in the Life' With OAE Orchestra Consultant Philippa Brownsword

Friday 9 August 2019

Our Orchestra Consultant, Philippa Brownsword, talks to us about a typical day on tour with the OAE.

Adrian Bending

Principal Timpani
Article
  • Bach the Universe and Everything
  • Interview

A Fascination with the Stars: Q&A with Stuart Clark

Friday 30 September 2022

The writer and guest speaker at our first Bach, the Universe and Everything event of 2022/23 talks Star Wars, the connectons between astronony and music, and his love of music from Bach to Xanadu.
Article
  • Artists

And introducing... Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha

Friday 4 March 2022

Meet the prize-winning soprano from South Africa who joins us for our all-Mahler programme on 8 March.
Article
  • Composers

Angels and monsters: a life singing Handel

Monday 30 January 2023

Ian Bostridge introduces the very personal selection of arias for our Handel Around the World concert.

Annette Isserlis

Viola

Arcangelo insight trip with Catherine Mackintosh, OAE Founding Member

Our friends at Arcangelo have kindly extended an invitation to their Insight Day, Saturday 9 November.
Article
  • Education

A special performance

Friday 10 July 2020

With thanks to Age UK Camden for inviting us to Henderson Court for our first live performance with an audience since lockdown.
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

Assembling the Mass in B Minor

Thursday 16 March 2023

In her second blog, Joanna Wyld puts together the pieces of the jigsaw that were to become the magnificent Mass in B Minor we know today.
Article
  • Composers
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

Tuesday 5 November 2024

We explore the mysteries surrounding Bach's Brandenburg Concertos including its uncertain origin and unusual instrumentation showcasing Bach's compositional ingenuity, with each concerto offering unique and unprecedented musical challenges.
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Bach's Great Passion

Friday 28 March 2025

The St Matthew Passion is one of the monumental works of the 18th Century, yet its message continues…
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

Bach's Mass in B Minor in New Colours

Friday 17 March 2023

In a blog taken from the notes to accompany his 2013 recording of the Mass in B Minor, Václav Luks writes about how he sought to strip away decades and centuries of performance traditions to rediscover the work for himself.
Video
  • Bach the Universe and Everything

Bach, the Universe and Everything: Can Bacterium Compute?

Tuesday 28 April 2020

In this episode, we hear Professor Susan Stepney from the University of York talk about the potential for a bacterium to compute.
Video
  • Bach the Universe and Everything
  • Digital Art

Bach, the Universe and Everything: Schrödinger's Pandemic

Tuesday 28 April 2020

In this episode, we hear Harvard Epidemiologist Bill Hanage talk about the known unknowns of the coronavirus.
Audio
  • Bach the Universe and Everything
  • Podcasts

Bach, the Universe and Everything Podcast with Marcus du Sautoy

Wednesday 25 March 2020

In this episode, we hear popular mathematician Professor Marcus du Sautoy from the University of Oxford talk about the potential for creativity in artificial intelligence.
Video
  • Bach the Universe and Everything

Bach vs AI: spot the difference

Friday 22 November 2019

Will computers ever be able to write music like Bach?

Become a Friend

From just £50, become part of the family by joining the OAE Friends today.

Become a Patron

Our Patrons are the lifeblood of the Orchestra, and help us to redefine what an orchestra can do.

Beethoven

Composer
Article
  • Composers

BEETHOVEN'S FIVE PIANO CONCERTOS

Tuesday 31 May 2022

Writer Jessica Duchen looks at the place of Beethoven's piano concertos in his creative life.
Article
  • Composers

Beginnings and endings.

Tuesday 25 April 2023

How we chose the music for our 2023/24 season. More importantly, how do we decide what order to put it in?
Article
  • Digital Art
  • OAE Player

Behind the OAE Player

Thursday 29 October 2020

As we introduce you to all the new content available on OAE Player, we wanted to give you a unique glimpse into the filming process.

Berlioz

Composer
Article
  • Rising Stars

Britain's Got Talent: New Rising Stars of the Enlightenment

Thursday 5 September 2019

We announce our new Rising Stars for the 2019-21 season.
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

Brothers on Different Paths

Monday 15 May 2023

Nicholas Kenyon compares the musical journeys of Carl Philip Emanuel and Johann Christian Bach.
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

Bruno Weil on Mozart and Beethoven

Wednesday 15 September 2021

Blog written by Victor Smart.

Catherine Rimer

Cello

Cecelia Bruggemeyer

Double Bass
Video
  • The Night Shift

Chacony in G minor by Henry Purcell | The Night Shift

Friday 13 October 2017

See some footage of our Night Shift at the CLF Art Cafe in Peckham.

Christine Sticher

Principal Double Bass
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

Christmas time, cantatas and wine.

Monday 6 November 2023

Christmas wasn't all stollen and Glühwein for an 18th Century town music director. We investigates the tensions smouldering below the surface in Bach's Leipzig.

Club OAE Season Tickets 2024/25

Our Club OAE Season Tickets help you to explore the full range of concerts in our Southbank Centre…
A banner image that reads "CLUB OAE SEASON TICKETS"

Club OAE Season Tickets 2025/26

Our Club OAE Season Tickets help you to explore the full range of concerts in our Southbank Centre…
The OAE Experience ensemble, a group of early career musicians, performing to a community audience in the Assembly Hall at Acland Burghley School

Community

Making connections with communities around the UK and the world enables us to make a lasting impact.
An audience of students and community members sit in orange chairs watching the orchestra players rehearse in a wood-panelled, brutalist hall with a high, vaulted ceiling and bright lights.

Community Open Rehearsals: 2024/25

We'd love to see you for some music and a cup of tea!
Article
  • Composers

Composing from the Old World to the New

Tuesday 26 March 2024

We explore the challenges faced by composers such as Jean Sibelius, Sergei Rachmaninov and Edvard Grieg as they transitioned from traditional to modern music in a changing world.

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Like most websites, we use cookies to improve the way in which we provide our services to you. 
Article
  • Supporters

Crispin Wins ABO AWARD 2021

Friday 12 March 2021

A heartfelt congratulations to Crispin Woodhead, our wonderful CEO, who has been awarded Orchestra Manager of the Year 2021 by the Association of British Orchestras.

Crispin Woodhead's 10 Years as CEO

Friday 28 February 2025

Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Crooks vs Valves: Martin Lawrence on Horns, Mahler, Wagner and Liszt.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Martin Lawrence talks about the horn parts in Mahler, Liszt, and Wagner, and the difference between the natural and valved horn.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Cylindrical Vs Conical: Lisa Beznosiuk on Flutes, Mahler, Wagner and Liszt

Friday 14 January 2011

Our Principal Flute Lisa Beznosiuk talks about the flute parts in Mahler, Liszt, and Wagner, and the difference between the cylindrical and conical flute.

Daniel Bates

Principal Oboe
Video
  • Instruments

Daniel Bates on the Oboe in Mahler 2

Friday 1 April 2016

Principal Oboe Daniel Bates discusses his love for Mahler and the starring role it provides for oboe players.
Headshot portraits of Roxanna Panufnik, Olga Pashchenko, Electra Perivolaris, Freya Waley-Cohen, Errollyn Wallen and Fanny Mendelssohn
Audio
  • Artists
  • Composers
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Das Jahr Playlist

Friday 21 February 2025

Discover the music of the incredibly talented Fanny Mendelssohn and the four composers who have written pieces inspired…

David Blackadder

Principal Trumpet
A person with long dark hair is lying down on a striped surface. They have one arm raised above their head and are wearing a sleeveless top. The expression on their face is relaxed with slightly parted lips.
Video
  • Composers
  • Rising Stars

Dido's Lament but backwards and with BMXers

Monday 8 March 2021

In our latest digital adventure, we play with expectations of genre in this remake of Coldplay's hit music video 'The Scientist', with Purcell’s tragic ‘When I am Laid’ from Dido and Aeneas.
Article
  • Digital Art

Digital art must be left to digital artists

Tuesday 29 September 2020

Digital art is omnipresent, inescapable, and full of value – a value that (as a society) we are currently ignoring.

Direct Debit Terms and Conditions

Welcome to the Terms and Conditions for Direct Debit.
Video
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music
  • Instruments

Double Bass Bow: French or German?

Monday 13 November 2017

Double bass Margaret Urquhart shows how the German bow makes Handel's fast and frantic string-crossings possible.
Article
  • Acland Burghley
  • Supporters

Dreamchasing Foundation to support Young Producers programme

Tuesday 7 February 2023

Find out how we're powering up our mentoring programme with support from F1 legend Ron Dennis’ charity.
Two students operating video and sound equipment in a dimly lit room with red lighting. One student is sitting, wearing headphones, and holding a glass, while the other, also wearing headphones, is looking at multiple screens and control panels on a desk.

Dreamchasing Young Producers

Dreamchasing Young Producers is a scheme that mentors and trains young people in the skills of management, creative design…
  • Acland Burghley
  • Education
  • Supporters

Dreamchasing Young Producers

Friday 6 December 2024

A note from our CEO Crispin Woodhead on the Dreamchasing Young Producers

Early Years & Primary

Our schools programme includes work in all the Key Stages and encompasses teacher training, workshops and schools concerts.
Article
  • Composers

Eight things you (probably) didn’t know about Mendelssohn’s Elijah

Wednesday 18 September 2019

A little bit of background to Mendelssohn's Elijah, one of Britain's most enduringly popular choral works.
Article
  • OAE Player

Embers of Romanticism

Wednesday 3 February 2021

Announcing new film on OAE Player featuring music by Wagner, Webern and Strauss | Premiere 10 Feb
Article
  • Composers
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Everything You Need to Know Before Going to a Concert

Tuesday 7 January 2025

Stand-up comedian, writer, actor and director, Chris Addison tells us exactly what we need to know before coming to classical concert.. and it might not be at all what you'd expect!
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Evolution of the Timpani - Part 1: Introducing the Baroque Timpani

Friday 19 August 2022

From humble and, let’s face it, slightly impractical beginnings we find out how the timpani come to be the sound of so many great musical (and historical) moments.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • OAE Musicians

Explaining Pitch

Friday 15 July 2016

Musicans Daniel Bates (oboe) and Oliver Wilson (viola) talk about pitch as they prepare for a concert involving two different pitches, A=430Hz and A=440Hz.
Video
  • Instruments

Exploring Beethoven's fortepiano

Wednesday 1 June 2022

Pianist and OAE Ambassador Cyrill Ibrahim travels to the Netherlands to get up close with the fortepiano that Sir Andras Schiff performs Beethoven's concertos on with us.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • OAE Musicians

Exploring Vibrato

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Violin player Julia Kuhn explores the sticky issue of when and when not to use vibrato.
Video
  • Artists
  • The Night Shift

Fairest Isle by Henry Purcell

Sunday 13 July 2014

Soprano Julia Doyle and our players perform Fairest Isle by Henry Purcell.
A panoramic photo of singers, orchestra and choir performing the OAE's The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes at the Queen Elizabeth Hall

Fairy Queen Resources

Here are all the resources you'll need for The Fairy Queen project with the OAE.
Article
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

From ancient ballads: putting Coleridge and Purcell together

Tuesday 27 September 2022

Katharina Spreckelsen explains why we've put together a composer and a poet who live over a hundred years apart.
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

From Deep Within the Archive: Bach's Double Violin Concerto

Friday 13 November 2015

From deep in the archive we have unearthed an old VHS recording of us performing on BBC Scotland in 1990, playing the 1st movement of Bach's Concerto for Two Violins.
Article
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

Further Listening: Max Mandel After Our Beethoven Tour

Tuesday 20 February 2018

For our Beethoven tour with Nicola Benedetti, we did ten concerts in three different countries, ending in Abu Dhabi. We asked our Principal Viola Max Mandel for more Beethoven that you might want to read, watch or listen to next.
Audio
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

Further listening: Simone Jandl

Monday 11 November 2019

So you've heard our Brahms: A German Requiem concert and you're hungry for more Brahms. Our co-principal viola Simone Jandl recommends four unique pieces Brahms wrote after a eureka moment later in his life.
Article
  • OAE Musicians

Further Reading: Daniel Bates

Wednesday 29 January 2020

Here's what our principal oboe, Daniel Bates, had to say about our Mozart's Final Flourish performance.
Article
  • OAE Musicians

Further Reading: Julia Kuhn

Monday 13 May 2019

Here’s what Julia, one of our violin players, wrote about performing Sibelius' Symphony No. 2.
Article
  • OAE Musicians

Further Reading: Katherine Spencer

Tuesday 19 March 2019

Here’s what our clarinet, Katherine Spencer (also known as Waffy), wrote about performing Schumann’s Symphony No.3
Video
  • Bach the Universe and Everything
  • Composers

Getting Bach Online

Saturday 11 April 2020

One week ago today, we premiered an online version of our popular science and classical concert series, Bach the Universe and Everything on YouTube.

Ground Base

Our Ground Base programme is an opportunity for students in Years 7-9 from Acland Burghley School’s Base to…

Handel

Composer
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks: Shock and Awe

Wednesday 21 August 2013

George Frideric Handel is best known for restoring English music to its’ highly respected and acclaimed position, following years of compositional drought after the death of Purcell in 1695.

Haydn

Composer
Video
  • Composers

Hen Party: Haydn's 'Fowl' Symphony

Wednesday 3 February 2016

We went to Kent to explore Haydn's clucking brilliant 'Fowl' symphony, with one of the world's leading experts in chicken music.

Henry Tong

Violin
Article
  • Composers
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Heroes and Rebels

Monday 24 February 2025

Laura Tunbridge, Professor of Music at the University of Oxford and author of Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces (Viking, 2020), explores Beethoven's Eroica symphony and Violin Concerto.

Home

Discover more about the music we play, our musicians and where we work.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

How to Make a Hosepipe Horn

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Horn player Martin Lawrence demonstrates how to make a working horn using just a hosepipe and a few other household bits.
A woman walks through a dimly lit underpass at night, with a red double-decker bus and a brightly illuminated circular building in the background. The city lights add a vibrant glow to the scene.
Article
  • Artists
  • Composers
  • Rising Stars

How to sing backwards: Helen Charlston gives an insight into how we remade Coldplay's The Scientist' with Dido's Lament

Monday 8 March 2021

In our latest digital adventure, we play with expectations of genre in this remake of Coldplay's hit music…

Huw Daniel

Leader, Violin
Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • OAE Musicians

Illustrated Theory of Music: Appoggiatura

Tuesday 21 July 2020

In this episode, oboe Leo Duarte ventures through the history of the Appoggiatura and the many disagreements and confusion that it has caused along the way!
Video
  • History and Theory of Music

Illustrated Theory of Music: Hemiola

Thursday 23 July 2020

Debbie Diamond talks us through what a hemiola is.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music

Illustrated Theory of Music: What are Barlines?

Tuesday 21 July 2020

In this episode, our double bass Cecelia Bruggemeyer tells us all about barlines, using some drinks from behind her bar...
Article
  • OAE Player

In a world gone mad, can great music help us see the light?

Friday 23 October 2020

Announcing our 2020-21 Digital Season: The Edge of Reason
Photo of Anton Bruckner
Article
  • Composers
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Interpreting Bruckner's Fifth Symphony

Thursday 10 October 2024

We explore Anton Bruckner's enigmatic persona and his music's associations with religious, metaphysical, and mystical experiences.
Article
  • Composers

Introducing... Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745 – 1799)

Saturday 27 August 2016

A short introduction to the composer, conductor and virtuoso violinist, who was born in 1745 in the Caribbean, the son of a French aristocrat and his wife's African slave.
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments

Introducing Beethoven's Contrabassoon

Monday 12 August 2019

David Chatterton introduces the contrabassoon as heard in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Haydn's Creation.
Article
  • Acland Burghley
  • Composers

Introducing Breaking Bach

Thursday 13 March 2025

We're breaking the code of the dance rhythms in Bach's music.
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments

Introducing Goossens' Oboe

Friday 31 May 2019

Guest oboe Nicholas Daniel introduces us to Léon Goossens' famous oboe.
Video
  • Artists
  • Composers
  • Instruments

Introducing Handel's Organ

Friday 19 July 2019

Our Principal Artist John Butt introduces a spectacular bespoke chamber organ, built to recreate the sounds of Handel's era.
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing Haydn's Oboe

Friday 19 July 2019

Principal Oboe Daniel Bates tells us about the instrument that composer Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) would have been familiar with.
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments

Introducing Mozart's Clarinet

Friday 19 July 2019

Our Principal Clarinet Antony Pay takes us through the staple instrument of the time, the five key clarinet, and shows us the type of basset clarinet he believes enables you to play Mozart's Clarinet Concerto best.
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing Mozart's Fortepiano

Friday 19 July 2019

Our Principal Keyboard Steven Devine shows us the instrument Mozart would have played towards the end of his life.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing Mozart's Horn

Friday 19 July 2019

Principal Horn Roger Montgomery looks at the instrument that would have been used to perform Mozart's horn concertos.
Article
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing our new principal clarinet... Katherine Spencer

Thursday 28 July 2022

We are delighted to announce that Katherine Spencer has been appointed as our new principal clarinet.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the 19th Century Horn

Monday 22 July 2019

Principal Horn Roger Montgomery introduces the 19th century horn.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Baroque Bassoon

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Former Principal Bassoon Peter Whelan introduces the baroque bassoon.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Baroque Cello

Friday 19 July 2019

Our Principal Cello Luise Buchberger introduces the Baroque Cello.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Baroque contrabassoon

Thursday 10 October 2019

David Chatterton introduces the Baroque contrabassoon created for the first performances of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Baroque Double Bass

Friday 19 July 2019

Where did the double bass of today come from? Cecelia Bruggemeyer, a long-time double bass player with us, introduces its baroque ancestor.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Baroque Flute

Friday 19 July 2019

Meet the flute that our Principal Lisa Beznosiuk uses for playing Bach, Handel, Rameau and composers like that.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Baroque Horn

Friday 19 July 2019

Principal Horn Roger Montgomery shows us the basics of the baroque horn and how it differs from the modern instrument.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Baroque Oboe

Friday 19 July 2019

Our Principal Oboe Katharina Spreckelsen explains why the quirks of the baroque oboe make it so exciting.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Baroque Spoons

Thursday 23 July 2020

A quick history of the baroque era's most under-appreciated instrument by John-Henry Baker, OAE Principal Spoon Player.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Baroque Theorbo

Monday 12 August 2019

Lutenist Elizabeth Kenny explains how and why the theorbo was developed in the 17th century, what it was used for, and what it's like to carry it around on the train.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Baroque Trumpet

Thursday 25 July 2019

Principal Trumpet David Blackadder introduces the Baroque trumpet, including the instrument Bach only ever wrote one piece for.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Baroque Viola

Thursday 18 July 2019

Principal Viola Simone Jandl talks us through her instrument, and what sets it apart from its more lenient modern counterpart.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Baroque Violin

Thursday 25 May 2017

Violin Huw Daniel reveals some of the ways the baroque instrument is different from the modern one.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Clavichord

Friday 19 July 2019

Our Principal Keyboard Steven Devine introduces the 'wildcard' keyboard instrument, the clavichord... in his kitchen.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Harpsichord

Friday 19 July 2019

Steven Devine, Principal Keyboard, tells us all about his German harpsichord.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music

Introducing the Illustrated Theory of Music

Tuesday 21 July 2020

Welcome to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's, 'Illustrated Theory of Music'.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Oboe D'amore

Tuesday 21 July 2020

Alexandra Bellamy introduces us to the oboe d'amore.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Oboe da Caccia

Wednesday 24 July 2019

Our Principal Oboe Katharina Spreckelsen explores the mystery of the peculiar looking baroque instrument, the oboe da caccia.
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments

Introducing the Ophicleide

Friday 22 August 2014

John Elliot introduces a relatively rarely seen instrument, the Ophicleide, and talks about its role in Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Piccolo Violin

Friday 2 June 2017

Take a violin, shrink it and tune it up a minor third. Violin Huw Daniel introduces the piccolo violin.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Schnellar Timpani

Wednesday 6 July 2016

Our Principal Timpanist Adrian Bending shows us his new set of drums, the Schnellar Timpani.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Introducing the Viola da Gamba

Friday 18 October 2019

Our Principal cello, Jonathan Manson, introduces us to the Viola da Gamba, or the Bass Viol as it is known in English.
Video
  • Instruments

Introducing the Violoncello da Spalla

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Sigiswald Kuijken talks about and demonstrates the now 'extinct' Violoncello da Spalla (essentially a cello played under one's chin).
Audio
  • Artists
  • Playlists

Isabelle Faust playlist

Friday 11 February 2022

We've complied an Isabelle Faust playlist ahead of our Faust Plays Schumann concert on 15 February.

Jobs & opportunities

At the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, we believe that everyone living in the UK should have access to classical music and culture as part of their daily lives.

John Butt

Principal Artist

Jonathan Manson

Principal Cello
Article
  • Composers

Journey's End

Friday 3 March 2023

We explore how travel may have inspired a composer more usually renowned for staying at home.

JS Bach

Composer

Julia Kuhn

Violin
Five musicians play brass instruments in front of music stands, standing against a backdrop featuring a large, black-and-white clock face with Roman numerals. They are dressed in black attire and are focused on their performances.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • Instruments

Jürgen Krauss from the Great British Bake Off Introduces the Stadtpfeiffer

Friday 19 August 2022

Imagine a world without "Alexa, play Morganmusik by Hindemith".

Katherine Spencer

Principal Clarinet

Kati Debretzeni

Leader, Violin

KS1 Full of Surprises Resources

Here are all the resources you'll need for the KS1 Full of Surprises project with the OAE.

KS1 Magic of Mozart Resources

Here are all the resources you'll need for the KS1 Magic of Mozart project with the OAE.

KS1 Papageno and the Bird Who Would Be Free Resources

A project for children in Year 1 and 2 to explore the music of Mozart’s Magic Flute and…

KS2 Life of the Sea

Here are all the resources you'll need for the Life of the Sea project with the OAE.
Video
  • Composers

Lagrime Mie, Barbara Strozzi

Friday 4 January 2019

Soprano Mary Bevan and theorbo player Elizabeth Kenny perform Lagrime Mie by the famed Venetian composer Barbara Strozzi.
A group of performers in matching attire stand on stage holding hands and taking a bow, while an audience applauds. Behind them, an orchestra and more performers can be seen. The stage is lit with bright lights, and a cluster of balloons hangs overhead.

Leave a gift in your will

Bach and Beethoven gave their legacy to us. You can do the same.

Leo Duarte

Oboe

Lisa Beznosiuk

Principal Flute
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Lisa Beznosiuk on the Flute in Bruckner

Wednesday 20 April 2016

Principal Flute Lisa Beznosiuk shows us her simple system conical flute which is used in Bruckner's 6th Symphony.
People stand in a dimly lit room with microphones, illuminated by bright lights. The background displays the word "HEX" in red.

Live at the Hex

A new multi-genre music event in London for 350 live audience with simultaneous livestream on YouTube.
Article
  • History and Theory of Music

Lockdown minus One

Thursday 9 September 2021

Blog post written by Mike Raggett.
Article
  • OAE Musicians

Look! No Conductor!

Thursday 16 February 2017

We spoke to our Leader, Kati Debretzeni, about how it is to perform without a conductor.
Article
  • OAE Musicians
  • OAE Player

Look, No Bass! and Telling Tales with Telemann on OAE Player

Wednesday 24 November 2021

In the lead-up to Christmas, we'll will be premiering a number of films on OAE Player.
Video
  • Rising Stars

Love Radiohead. Love Handel. Love Music

Thursday 26 November 2020

We've challenged and bent genre in our latest underwater stunt.

Luise Buchberger

Principal Cello

Mahler

Composer

Margaret Faultless

Leader, Violin
Article
  • Artists
  • Composers

Mark Padmore on Bach’s St Matthew Passion

Monday 5 March 2018

Mark Padmore explains his view of the St Matthew Passion, and the role of the Evangelist.

Martin Lawrence

Horn
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Martin Lawrence on Horns in Der Freischütz

Wednesday 25 May 2016

Horn player Martin Lawrence tells us about the ghostly sound of the horn in Weber's opera Der Freischütz.

Matthew Truscott

Leader, Violin
Video
  • OAE Musicians

Matthew Truscott on 'Baroque. Contrasted.'

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Leader Matthew Truscott talks about the concert he devised and directed at Kings Place in 2011.
Video
  • OAE Musicians

Max Explains...Where We Play

Monday 12 August 2019

Our Principal Viola, Max Mandel, takes us on a tour of some of London's historic concert venues, from the Southbank Centre to The George Tavern.

Max Mandel

Principal Viola
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

Max Mandel on Mozart and Michael Gordon

Thursday 5 May 2016

Principal Viola Max Mandel chats about Mozart and American composer, Michael Gordon.
A composite photo of the singers Sofia Kirwan-Baez, Angharad Rowlands, Hugo Brady and Peter Edge
Article
  • Artists
  • Rising Stars

Meet our new Rising Stars

Thursday 10 April 2025

We've chosen our next (super)group of Rising Stars of the Enlightenment. The auditions are finished and we can…
Article
  • Digital Art

More than a Record: The Cultural Value of Digital Art

Thursday 24 September 2020

What is the value of digital art?

Mozart

Composer
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians
  • The Night Shift

Mozart's Horn Quintet, 1st Movement (on a hosepipe horn) | The Night Shift

Monday 8 May 2017

Horn player Martin Lawrence performs Mozart's Horn Quintet on a hosepipe horn, while it crowd-surfs at The Night Shift in Islington.
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

Mozart's Naughty Notes

Monday 12 August 2019

Mozart illustrated the score for the Rondo from his Horn Concerto No.1 with a series of naughty notes and jokes aimed at his horn player friend, Joseph Leutgeb.
Video
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Mozart Horn Concerto No.4, Rondo - on the Natural Horn

Sunday 15 April 2018

Watch our Principal Horn, Roger Montgomery, perform the Rondo from Mozart's Horn Concerto No.4 on a natural horn at The Night Shift.

Musical Connections

Musical Connections is designed to bring a group of students with a range of abilities together.
Article

Musical Connections: Arts for Impact Campaign

Friday 7 March 2025

We're participating in the Arts for Impact campaign from Tuesday 18 – Tuesday 25 March (noon)
The dancers and OAE musicians being applauded by an audience after a performance of Breaking Bach at ENB studios in October 2023

Music for Everyone

Everyone living in the UK should have access to classical music and culture as part of their daily…

Neil McLaren

Flute
Article
  • Artists

New Recording: Brahms Piano Concertos with Sir András Schiff

Thursday 3 June 2021

Article
  • Composers

New season for 2021-22: The Wilderness Pleases

Tuesday 29 June 2021

Tickets now on sale for the first two concerts of our new season at the Southbank Centre.
Video
  • Artists
  • Instruments

Nicola Benedetti: Beethoven on period instruments

Friday 2 February 2018

Violin Nicola Benedetti chats with us about the challenges and rewards in performing Beethoven on period instruments as she joins us on a tour around the UK and US.

Notes from a Playground

We genuinely seek for our residency model at Acland Burghley to not be unique. We hope you will…
A group of musicians dressed in black perform in an orchestra on a stage. They are playing various instruments, including violins, cellos, and wind instruments. The conductor stands in front, guiding the performance. Audience members are visible in the foreground.

Nurturing Talent

We are investing in the talent of the future.
Article
  • Supporters

OAE awarded £37.5k from second round of the Cultural Recovery Fund

Friday 2 April 2021

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of…

OAE Benevolent Fund

Supporting players of the OAE through hard times for over 25 years
Article
  • Acland Burghley
  • Education

OAE move into Acland Burghley School

Monday 14 September 2020

We are thrilled to announce that we are moving into Acland Burghley School in Camden, North London.
Video
  • Artists

OAE Principal Artist John Butt

Thursday 8 August 2019

What makes the OAE so special? OAE Principal Artist John Butt tells us.
Article
  • History and Theory of Music

Op, op, opera

Friday 1 October 2021

Blog post written by Mike Raggett.
Video
  • Instruments

Organ in the office

Tuesday 1 October 2019

We've got an electric organ in the office, temporarily, before it goes to Paris for Mendelssohn's Elijah on Tuesday 8 October 2019.
Article
  • Composers

Our co-production of Bach's St John Passion with Marquee TV

Thursday 1 April 2021

As an Easter treat, we have filmed a co-production with the wonderful Marquee TV of Bach's St John…
A student dancer performs a break-dancing move under dramatic blue lighting while being filmed by a cameraman. Silhouetted camera equipment stands to the side, recording the action unfold on a dimly lit stage.

Our Commitment

We believe that the radical step to embed completely in a North London Comprehensive School is an act…

Our Home

The latest chapter of the OAE's story began in September 2020 when we moved into Acland Burghley School…
Pianist Andras Schiff demonstrates on a piano during a community open rehearsal for school students and members of the public

Our Mission

Breathtaking. Glorious. Mischievous. Wacky. These are just a few of the words that have been used recently to…
A black-and-white photo featuring a group of musicians posing outdoors. The ensemble includes string instrument players holding violins, cellos, and double basses. The backdrop is a lush green area with trees and a building partially visible. All individuals are smiling.

Our Story

In 1986, a group of inquisitive London musicians took a long hard look at the institution we call…
Article
  • Digital Art
  • Interview

Panel Q&A What is the Value of Digital Art?

Monday 5 October 2020

Watch the panel discussion on 'What is the Value of Digital Art?' with Toks Dada, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Lord Ed Vaizey, Steven Devine and David Taylor.
Article
  • Southbank Centre 2025-26

Party Planning

Friday 7 March 2025

We're turning 40 next year and here's how we're planning to celebrate with our 2025/26 season at the…
Video
  • OAE Musicians
  • The Night Shift

Passacaglia in D minor by Fischer | The Night Shift

Friday 4 November 2016

Passacaglia in D minor by Fischer, performed at The Night Shift at the CLF Art Cafe (The Bussey Building).
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

Performing Beethoven's Symphony No.8 from First Edition Parts

Friday 22 November 2013

Leader Margaret Faultless talks about performing Beethoven's Symphony No.8 from the first edition parts.
Article
  • Composers

Performing the Passion

Wednesday 23 March 2022

The practice of incorporating the story of Christ's Passion within the services of Holy Week goes back many hundreds of years.
Video
  • Artists
  • Composers
  • Instruments

Phil Dale on the Trombone in Bruckner

Monday 18 April 2016

Trombone Philip Dale talks about the trombone used in Bruckner and explores the types of instrument that were used before then.
Video
  • The Night Shift

Polacca By Punto | The Night Shift

Thursday 15 September 2016

A Polacca (a type of Polish dance) by Giovanni Punto at our Night Shift at the George Tavern.
Trumpet player David Blackadder performing the Christmas Oratorio with four sopranos in background

Press

We hope you will find the information below helpful and please do get in contact if you need…

Principal Oboe - Baroque

The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment is inviting applications for the freelance position of Principal Oboe -…

Privacy Policy

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is a registered data controller under the UK Data Protection Act…

Purcell

Composer
Video
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music
  • OAE Musicians

Rehearsing Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Thursday 28 November 2019

Leader Margaret Faultless gets her hands on the original concert programme for the premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis at Gloucester Cathedral on September 6, 1910.
Article
  • Composers
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Reimagining Fanny Mendelssohn's Das Jahr

Friday 12 April 2024

Why have we commissioned four women composers to write original pieces inspired by Fanny Mendelssohn's piano cycle Das Jahr?
An external shot of the Queen Elizabeth Hall - a brutalist concrete building - at the Southbank Centre in London.

Residencies

We are Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre and Resident Orchestra at Acland Burghley School, and have artistic relationships with venues and festivals across England, including Glyndebourne and Kings Place.
Article
  • Composers

Resurrecting Bach's Easter Oratorio

Tuesday 27 February 2024

We explore Bach's Easter Oratorio shedding light on the tensions and triumphs of his musical journey.
A woman with long curly blonde hair, wearing a white coat, beige shirt, and white pants, stands in a lush green forest. She looks up with one hand raised as if feeling for rain, surrounded by trees and vegetation.

Rising Stars of the Enlightenment

Launched in 2017, the Rising Stars of the Enlightenment is our two-year long programme for talented, emerging professional…

Robert Schumann

Composer

Roger Montgomery

Principal Horn
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

Roger Montgomery discusses Mozart's Horn Concerto No.4 on the Natural Horn

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Principal Horn Roger Montgomery chats about his natural horn and about Mozart's 'hunting-style' in his Horn Concerto No.4.
Video
  • Composers
  • Instruments
  • OAE Musicians

Roger Montgomery on the Horn in Mahler 2

Tuesday 26 April 2016

Our Principal Horn Roger Montgomery demonstrates two of the different horns musicians were playing during the period Mahler was composing.
Video
  • Composers

Saint-Saëns: The Man and His Music

Friday 13 January 2023

How well do we know Camille Saint-Saëns?
Video
  • Artists
  • Composers

Sarah Connolly on Mahler's 'Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen'

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly talks about Mahler and his Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer), which she performed with us in 2011.
A panoramic photo of singers, orchestra and choir performing the OAE's The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes at the Queen Elizabeth Hall

Schools Projects

We believe that the OAE is a leading voice in the orchestral education sector.
Video
  • The Night Shift

Season Trailer 2019 | The Night Shift

Monday 19 March 2018

Classical music, minus the rules.
Article
  • Composers

Sea Voyages and Salvation: Roderick Williams sings baroque cantatas with us

Tuesday 8 June 2021

Roderick Williams joins us on 8 June for our latest OAE Player concert.

Secondary

Throughout the year, we partner with secondary schools across the country to provide musical education to students of…
Article
  • Education

Share Sound

Monday 12 July 2021

In partnership with Orchestras Live, Durham Music Service and Suffolk Music Education Hub.

Sir András Schiff

Principal Artist

Sir Mark Elder

Principal Artist

Sir Roger Norrington

Emeritus Conductor

Sir Simon Rattle

Principal Artist
Article
  • Composers

Six things you (probably) didn’t know about Christoph Willibald Gluck

Tuesday 22 January 2019

Gluck is one of the great opera composers. Here are some things you probably didn’t know about him.
Video
  • Acland Burghley
  • Education

Smoke machines, backflips and baroque drums: Reimagining Rameau for GCSE

Monday 8 March 2021

In September 2020, we entered into a unique with Acland Burghley School (ABS). We didn't waste time getting…
Video
  • Artists
  • Composers

Soprano Louise Alder on Handel's Semele

Monday 16 October 2017

Soprano Louise Alder chats about her role as Semele in Handel's steamy opera in which she falls in love with the god Jupiter.
A woman in a red sweater holds a violin and interacts with a child playing a snare drum. The child, also wearing a red outfit, uses a drumstick to tap the drum. Other children and caregivers are visible in the background.

Special Educational Needs

Our Special Educational Needs programme has expanded significantly over the last few years.
  • Interview

Speed Interview - Shelley von Strunckel

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Ahead of an Insight Club in 2013 about The Magic Flute, we chatted to astrologist and OAE enthusiast Shelley von Strunckel about Mozart, mysticism and The Matrix…
  • Artists
  • Interview
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Speed Interview: Carolyn Sampson

Wednesday 2 October 2019

We put Carolyn Sampson through our speed interview ahead of our performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah on Thursday 3 October 2019.
Article
  • Artists
  • Interview

Speed Interview: Marin Alsop

Friday 9 August 2019

We put internationally renowned conductor, Marin Alsop, through our speed interview.

Steven Devine

Principal Keyboard
Video
  • Composers

Steven Isserlis and Haydn's Cello Concerto in C

Friday 17 March 2017

Cello virtuoso Steven Isserlis shows us his Marquis de Corberon Stradivarius cello and chats about Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C which he performed with us at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall.
Article
  • Composers

Storm and Stress

Thursday 29 September 2022

We take a look beneath the tumultuous surface of Haydn's Symphony No. 44 and the so-called 'Nelson' Mass.
Article
  • Digital Art

Streamed concerts: full fat delight or pale imitation?

Monday 5 October 2020

I guess we all have small treats we enjoy. One of mine is cereal.

Support us

As a charity, we rely on our supporters to keep the music playing.

Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty is our podcast hosted by viola player Annette Isserlis (Netty).
Audio
  • Artists
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea With Netty #5: Composer and conductor Iván Fischer

Saturday 1 February 2020

Netty shares a breakfast brew with conductor and composer Iván Fischer.
Article
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #14: OAE Founding Member Alison Bury

Friday 12 March 2021

Netty shares a cuppa and some giggles with OAE founding member, Alison Bury.
Article
  • OAE Musicians
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #18: OAE violins Henry Tong, Dominika Feher and Nia Lewis

Thursday 1 July 2021

Netty has a brew with three members of the OAE violin section.
Article
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #21: Presenter of BBC Radio 3's Composer of the Week Donald Macleod

Friday 22 October 2021

This week’s guest on Tea with Netty is Donald Macleod – much loved presenter of Composer of the Week on BBC Radio 3
Audio
  • OAE Musicians
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #29: David Blackadder, OAE's Principal Trumpet

Friday 17 June 2022

Netty and David get to rehearsals early so they have time for a bit of a chat about everything from Brandenburg Concertos to grand-parenting.
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #31: Conductors Ben Glassberg and Chloe Rooke

Friday 19 August 2022

Netty sits down for a cuppa with not just one but two fantastic young conductors - Ben Glassberg and Chloe Rooke.
Audio
  • Artists
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #42: Countertenor Tim Mead

Tuesday 4 July 2023

In this episode, Netty is joined by countertenor Tim Mead who shares some interesting stories.
Audio
  • Artists
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #43: Václav Luks

Thursday 10 August 2023

Joining Netty in the latest episode is Václav Luks, who is currently conducting Handel's Semele with the OAE at Glyndebourne.
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #44: Claire Holden

Monday 11 September 2023

Joining Netty in the latest episode is Claire Holden, who has been an OAE violinist for over 20 years and is also an academic researcher.
Audio
  • Artists
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #45: Michael Chance

Monday 16 October 2023

In the latest Tea with Netty episode countertenor extraordinaire Michael Chance, who is currently running The Grange Festival and other music projects, shares his journey as a singer and teacher.
Article
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #47: Guy and Hugh Cutting

Wednesday 20 December 2023

In the latest episode, we bring you a Christmas treat of not just one but two Cuttings in a sibling special with Guy Cutting (tenor) and Hugh Cutting (countertenor).
Audio
  • OAE Musicians
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #48: Principal Viola Max Mandel

Thursday 18 January 2024

The first Tea with Netty episode of 2024 features a Viola combo with Principal Violist Max Mandel joining fellow Violist Netty for tea and chats.
Audio
  • Artists
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #49: Conductor John Wilson

Friday 16 February 2024

Conductor, composer and arranger John Wilson joins Netty for tea in the latest episode.
Audio
  • OAE Musicians
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #50: Co-Principal Cello Luise Buchberger

Monday 11 March 2024

In the latest episode, OAE Co-Principal Cello Luise Buchberger joins Netty for tea.
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #51: OAE Head of Digital Zen Grisdale

Thursday 18 April 2024

OAE’s Head of Digital Zen Grisdale spills the tea as he joins Netty in the latest episode.
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #52: Bass-baritone Dingle Yandell

Monday 13 May 2024

As summer approaches, bass-baritone Dingle Yandell joins Netty in the fields of Glyndebourne for the latest episode.
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #53: Conductor Constantin Trinks

Thursday 6 June 2024

Conductor Constantin Trinks, who makes his Festival debut conducting Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the OAE, joins Netty for tea and a chat.
Audio
  • Artists
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #56: Harpist Joy Smith

Thursday 5 September 2024

Netty is joined by harpist Joy Smith in her cosy 17th-century weaver's cottage in Essex for the latest episode.
Audio
  • OAE Musicians
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #57: Double Bassist Cecelia Bruggemeyer

Wednesday 16 October 2024

OAE's beloved double bassist and current Chair of the Players' Artistic Committee Cecelia Bruggemeyer joins Netty in the…
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #59: OAE Leader Kati Debretzeni

Monday 16 December 2024

OAE violin leader Kati Debretzeni joins Netty for a cuppa and a chat while on tour. Kati tells fascinating and humorous stories from her family history to stepping into the musical universe. Come along for the ride where each stop reveals her delightful discoveries and the joy of following one's passion!
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #61: Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston

Monday 10 February 2025

Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston joins Netty for tea and a chat in the latest episode. She discusses her unique voice and the discoveries she's made through singing different repertoire as well as learning to sing backwards!
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #62: OAE horn player Martin Lawrence

Monday 10 March 2025

OAE horn player Martin Lawrence joins Netty in the latest episode for tea and chats. As they dive into lively conversation, Martin sheds light on the fascinating distinctions between natural and valve horns, performance anxiety discoveries and unveils his intriguing passion for mushroom foraging.
Audio
  • Podcasts
  • Tea with Netty

Tea with Netty #63: Soprano Anna Dennis

Friday 11 April 2025

Soprano Anna Dennis joins Netty for tea and a chat in the latest episode. While backstage at the St Matthew Passion concert in London, Anna shared her insights on the various spectrums of music, including baroque and modern styles. She also gives us a glimpse into her love of thrifting!
Video
  • Interview

Ten minutes with a music librarian

Thursday 23 August 2018

What does a music librarian in an orchestra do?

Thank You to Our Supporters

We are extremely grateful to the individuals and organisations who have given us their generous support.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music

The Birth of the Symphony

Monday 12 August 2019

Dr Robert Samuels, Senior Lecturer in Music at the Open University, explains how the symphony came to be.
Article
  • Artists
  • Playlists

The C90: András Schiff Playlist

Sunday 5 June 2022

We take a Beethoven-inspired browse through the pianist András Schiff's back catalogue.
Audio
  • Playlists

The C90: Sounds of 2023

Sunday 1 January 2023

We've put together a Spotify playlist inspired by the music and guest artists we're looking forward to in 2023.
Article
  • Composers
  • Playlists

The C90: Sound the Trumpets!

Friday 16 September 2022

10 September marked Henry Purcell’s birthday (roughly). So we've decided to celebrate this greatest of English composers with a playlist.
Article
  • Education

The Education Diaries: March 2025

Monday 24 March 2025

Last month, our musicians performed an incredible 10 concerts for children in schools and concert venues across London in 5 days. 
Article
  • History and Theory of Music

The Euros 1683: England 1-0 Italy

Wednesday 22 September 2021

As the Restoration flourished an intriguing contest took place between the continental composers that the new King brought over to England and the home-grown talent who had by now recovered from 18 years under Cromwell’s Commonwealth.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • Instruments

The Evolution of the Violin Bow

Thursday 4 June 2015

Violinist, Henrietta Wayne, gives us an insight into the history of the violin bow, from the 1500s to today.
A man and a woman stand at the front of a classroom, engaging an audience of students. Behind them, a group of musicians play various string instruments. The wall displays the phrase "J'aime le déjeuner!" There is a vibrant, educational atmosphere.

The Fairy Queen

In 2023/24 we created The Fairy Queen, an exciting new community opera produced collaboratively with communities across the…
Article
  • Acland Burghley
  • Education

The Fairy Queen: Three Wishes, County Durham Residency

Friday 7 March 2025

‘I will remember this forever’ – Year 3 pupil
Video
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

The fine line between Salvation and Damnation

Thursday 3 October 2019

Our 2019-20 season at Southbank Centre is called Salvation and Damnation.
A group of people sits around a large white table in a brightly lit room. The table has a laptop and a camera on it. One person is standing, while others are seated, engaged in conversation. Stacks of papers or files are organised on shelves against the wall.

The Five Point Plan

Our vision for our residency at Acland Burghley is a relationship where we include the whole school community…
Article
  • Artists
  • Composers

The formidable Queen Dido of Carthage

Tuesday 16 February 2021

A short reflection on how Dido has been portrayed throughout the centuries.
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

The Four Seasons with Kati Debretzeni, pt 1: In Depth

Wednesday 8 February 2017

Leader Kati Debretzeni introduces the first of four films taking an in depth look at Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

The Four Seasons with Kati Debretzeni, pt 2: In Depth

Thursday 9 February 2017

The second of four films by Leader Kati Debretzeni taking an in depth look at Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

The Four Seasons with Kati Debretzeni, pt 3: In Depth

Friday 10 February 2017

The third of four films by Leader Kati Debretzeni taking an in depth look at Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Video
  • Composers
  • OAE Musicians

The Four Seasons with Kati Debretzeni, pt 4: In Depth

Saturday 11 February 2017

The final film by Leader Kati Debretzeni taking an in depth look at Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Article
  • Composers

The good life, with Edward Elgar

Thursday 23 May 2019

We imagine what would have happened if the famous English composer Edward Elgar had decided to write a self-help book.
Article
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

The Grit That Makes the Pearl

Friday 26 May 2023

We look through the history of the opera that critics called "the best in every way" of Gilbert & Sullivan.
Article
  • Composers

THE LIGHT OF SPAIN

Thursday 5 October 2023

Find out more about Cristobal de Morales, whose motets we will be exploring in our 2023/24 season of Bach, the Universe and Everything.
Audio
  • Interview
  • Podcasts

The Masaaki Suzuki Interview

Thursday 23 November 2023

Ahead of our performances of Bach's Christmas Oratorio with Masaaki Suzuki we sat down for a chat with the conductor.
Article
  • Composers

The Mendelssohns: 7 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know

Monday 12 August 2019

Here are seven things you may not have known about the famous brother-sister duo.
Article
  • Education

The Moon Hares: Behind the Scenes

Friday 28 February 2020

Our community opera, The Moon Hares, had its first performance on the 29th January in Consett, Country Durham. Alice Phelps (who's Spitalfields Trainee Music Leader with Orchestras Live) worked on this project with us. Here's what she had to say:
Video
  • Instruments

The Piano Tuner: Sjoerd Heijda

Tuesday 24 November 2015

We slipped in to film piano tuner and restorer Sjoerd Heijda as he prepared the 1943 Streicher piano.
A group of school students are standing in the middle of the violin section of the OAE during a rehearsal.

The Story

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Acland Burghley School are engaged in a unique partnership between…
Article
  • Composers
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

The trouble with Fanny

Friday 14 March 2025

Jessica Duchen sat down with Fanny Mendelssohn's three-times-great-granddaughter, the filmmaker Sheila Hayman to talk about history's neglected female composers.
Article
  • Artists
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

The Underrated Giant: Talking about Mendelssohn with Sir András Schiff

Wednesday 3 April 2024

Jessica Duchen sat down with András Schiff to talk about composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Article
  • Digital Art

The Value of Digital Art: creating a Utopian concert hall

Thursday 8 October 2020

Free access to online performances—via streaming, YouTube, social apps, and personal websites—means making a living through digital art is near impossible.
Article
  • Digital Art

The value of digital art is in making it accessible beyond the 7.30pm club

Thursday 17 September 2020

For all the audience development initiatives and nice words about accessibility, going to see an opera, concert, ballet or theatre show generally remains a club for those lucky enough to be able to get to a venue at 7.30 pm.
Article
  • Digital Art

The Value of Digital Art is in the ability to reach an international audience

Tuesday 13 October 2020

Opera is a great passion of mine. Baroque music comes a close second, but living in Vietnam, it is a difficult passion.
Cover page of the manuscript of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, in the composers own hand
Article
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

The Whole World is an Enigma.

Wednesday 17 April 2024

Secret themes, lost manuscripts, broken celebrity crushes… we explore the myriad ways that the music in our 2024/25 season teases us and why that is part of the thrill.
Article
  • OAE Musicians

The Wilderness Pleases: Our Complete 2021-22 Season

Tuesday 2 November 2021

The OAE is proud to be a Resident Orchestra of London's Southbank Centre
Article
  • Digital Art

The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction: How Artistic Value Has Always Prevailed

Friday 16 October 2020

‘The genuineness of a thing is the quintessence of everything about it since its creation that can be handed down, from its material duration to the historical witness that it bears.’
Video
  • The Night Shift

Trad Klezmer, Die Goldene Chasene | The Night Shift

Wednesday 15 November 2017

Our late night concert series The Night Shift goes Klezmer!

Trusts and Foundations

Trusts and foundations that share our ambition to make orchestral music accessible to new audiences are vital to…
Video
  • OAE Musicians
  • The Night Shift

Vierdanck | The Night Shift

Friday 25 May 2018

Our performance of Vierdanck's Capriccio for 3 violins at The Night Shift in Shadwell.

Vivaldi

Composer
Video
  • Composers

Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Winter, Allegro | Choreography by Henri Oguike

Monday 4 November 2013

In February 2013 we collaborated with Choreographer Henri Oguike on a bold new interpretation of Vivaldi's seminal Four Seasons, fusing cutting-edge contemporary dance with period performance. Here's a taster of the event with the Allegro from Winter.
Article
  • Southbank Centre 2024-25

Vivaldi and Pergolesi: The Female Presence

Friday 8 November 2019

We took a look into the background of Vivaldi's Gloria and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater Ahead of our Vivaldi and Pergolesi: Sacred Baroque concert on Monday 11 November.

Vladimir Jurowski

Principal Artist
Video
  • Artists
  • Composers

Vladimir Jurowski on Mahler

Saturday 19 March 2016

Principal Artist Vladimir Jurowski discusses our performance of Mahler's Symphony No.2.

Watch the OAE

Get us in your living room or your classroom.
Article
  • History and Theory of Music

What's in a song?

Thursday 3 March 2022

Dr Robert Samuels looks at the influence of song in Mahler's symphonies ahead of our performance of the Fourth Symphony.
Video
  • OAE Musicians

What Classical Musicians Give up for their Careers

Wednesday 11 March 2020

We asked our players what 'the cost of greatness' is for doing what they love as a career.
Video
  • History and Theory of Music
  • OAE Musicians

What is a Cantata?

Friday 19 July 2019

What is a Cantata? Our Principal Keyboard Steven Devine explains...
Video
  • History and Theory of Music

What is chamber music?

Monday 12 August 2019

The term 'chamber' is often used to describe bands of various sizes, from string quartets to medium-sized orchestras.
Video
  • Artists

What is it like to be a Mezzo-Soprano?

Monday 26 February 2018

What is it like to be a mezzo-soprano?
Video
  • Digital Art

What is the cost of greatness?: LEGO FAUST

Friday 21 February 2020

Thomas Mann's novel, Doctor Faustus, tells the story of a man who makes a pact with the devil in order to achieve musical greatness.
Article
  • Artists
  • Composers
  • Interview

What is the cost of Greatness?: Speed interview with Geoffrey Paterson

Friday 21 February 2020

In true Faustian spirit, we're looking at what the cost of greatness really ahead of out upcoming concert Faust: the Life of a Composer on the 25 March at Southbank Centre.
Article
  • Digital Art

What is the Value of Digital Art?

Wednesday 26 August 2020

On 22 October, we will release 30 new and visually-stunning performance videos. But what are they worth? We invite you to help shape the future of digital art and decide what you'd like to pay for it.
Audio
  • Playlists
  • Rising Stars

What our Rising Stars have been singing (and listening to) recently

Tuesday 10 September 2019

Our new cohort of Rising Stars of the Enlightenment for 2019-21 has just been announced. We asked them about their favourite music and turned the answers into a Spotify playlist.
Article
  • Composers

What was Mahler's cost of greatness?

Wednesday 11 March 2020

How did Mahler suffer for his art?
Article
  • Acland Burghley
  • Education

When it's good to be loud!

Tuesday 26 November 2024

We’ve just released our 2023/24 ‘Annual Review’ of our Education work. Discover the impact we’ve been having from Durham to Plymouth.
Video
  • Bach the Universe and Everything

Why Are We So Obsessed With Sending Music Into Space? | Dallas Campbell

Wednesday 10 October 2018

Broadcaster Dallas Campbell explores the long history of speculating what aliens would make of music.
Article
  • Composers

Why I Love Mahler's Second Symphony

Friday 9 August 2019

OAE’s guest Mahler lover, Genevieve Arkle, reveals how she fell for his Second Symphony.
Video
  • Composers
  • History and Theory of Music

Why is it Called the Surprise Symphony? The Secret of Haydn's Success

Monday 22 July 2019

Haydn's Surprise Symphony isn't just one dramatic moment.
A person with face paint in blue, white, and gold is smiling slightly. The background features geometric shapes in matching colours.
Video
  • Composers
  • Rising Stars

Why we covered our singer in body paint for our newest genre-bending Purcell music video

Thursday 6 May 2021

In our latest genre-bending music video, we remade Gotye's hit music video 'Somebody that I used to know'.

William Christie

Emeritus Conductor
A diverse group of musicians and singers gather in a spacious, wood-paneled room. Some play instruments like drums and keyboards, while others are seated and standing. The walls are adorned with colourful artwork and posters.

Year 7 Introduction to the Orchestra

As part of our universal offer to ABS students, each year we run sessions for students in Year…

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