City of London Sinfonia

Entering its 40^th year, City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is beginning a new era with recently appointed artistic leaders, Stephen Layton (Artistic Director & Principal Conductor) and Michael Collins (Principal Conductor) coming on board.

CLS is one of the UK’s best-regarded chamber orchestras having earned a reputation for consistently high quality performances and recordings. Founded in 1971 by the late Richard Hickox, the Orchestra performs repertoire from the Baroque period to the present day and brings to each performance an energy and freshness which create a memorable experiences for both audience and musicians alike. The Orchestra’s programmes often have a particular focus on music featuring the human voice in works for chorus, solo voice and narrator.

CLS performs throughout the UK, with regular London appearances at Cadogan Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral and other venues in the City of London where, among other events, it features in a free winter lunchtime concert series promoted by the City of London Festival. It has been resident orchestra at London’s popular summer opera festival, Opera Holland Park, since 2004 and has been a regular guest orchestra at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Further afield, the Orchestra has long-standing residencies in High Wycombe and Chatham. CLS has over one hundred recordings to its name including a series of operas by Benjamin Britten conducted by Richard Hickox on the Chandos label. CLS won a prestigious Grammy for Best Opera for its recording of Peter Grimes.

City of London Sinfonia is fast gaining a reputation for its Crash, Bang, Wallop! family concerts. Performances at Cadogan Hall in London and further afield are designed to introduce audiences of all ages to the world of classical music and include lively participation and audience interaction. Themes for the 2010-2011 season include Carnival and Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Peter Rabbit and his friends.

Education and community work has been at the heart of the Orchestra’s work since 1988 when members of CLS began to develop skills which could take their reach well beyond the concert platform.when members of CLS expressed an interest to expand their reach outside the concert hall. Its Meet the Music programme takes CLS musicians into two main strands of work:

Growth through Music brings music and musicians into schools, nurseries, prisons and community settings in a variety of UK regions. This autumn, CLS embarks on a ‘Lullaby Concerts’ tour for very young children, and works with the Wycombe Steel Orchestra in advance of a collaborative performance in London. CLS is also a regular partner with Opera Holland Park Inspire bringing music into schools and hospital settings throughout London.

Wellbeing through Music includes work in the field of health and wellbeing, including CLS’s regular visits to Great Ormond Street Hospital and to residential homes for elderly Jewish refugees and holocaust survivors. The newest area of engagement sees CLS collaborating with the Dementia Research Centre experimenting with music support to sufferers of a particular type of dementia called Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Extending their influence into the business community, CLS musicians also deliver Development through Music - the acclaimed professional skills training, through music, to companies around the UK. The programme was founded in 2000 and was one of the first of its kind in the country.