Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

In 1986, a group of inquisitive London musicians took a long hard look at that curious institution called the orchestra and decided to start again from scratch. They began by throwing out the rulebook. Put a single conductor in charge? No way. Specialize in repertoire of a particular era? Too restricting. Perfect a work and then move on? Too lazy. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was born.

And as this distinctive ensemble playing on period-specific instruments began to get a foothold, it made a promise to itself. The members vowed to keep questioning, adapting, and inventing as long as the ensemble lived. Residencies at the Southbank Centre and the Glyndebourne Festival confirmed the group’s experimentalist bent. Record deals didn’t iron out its quirks. Instead, the OAE examined musical notes with ever more freedom and resolve.

That creative thirst remains unquenched. The orchestra’s Night Shift series of informal performances taking place in pubs and bars redefines the traditional concert format. Its association with another London venue, Kings Place, has fostered further diversity of music-making including the innovative Bach, the Universe and Everything series.

The OAE continues to tour the UK, appearing in the major cities and concert halls as well as in towns generally unvisited by most orchestras, as well as internationally. In 2024–25, the orchestra performs at the Brucknerhaus in Linz, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Musikverein in Vienna, and Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and in Copenhagen, Budapest, Graz, Antwerp, Munich, Zurich, and on a US tour.

The OAE has never had a music director. It enjoys many long-term collaborations, and the title of Principal Artist is currently held by John Butt, Sir Mark Elder, Adam Fischer, Iván Fischer, Vladimir Jurowski, Sir Simon Rattle, and Sir András Schiff.

In keeping with its values of always questioning, challenging, and trailblazing, in September 2020, the OAE became the resident orchestra of the Acland Burghley School in Camden (London). The residency—a first for a British orchestra—allows the OAE to live, work, and play among the students at the school.