Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Other conductors to have worked with the OAE at its invitation include Marin Alsop, Anu Tali, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sian Edwards, Edward Gardner, Suzi Digby, Robin Ticciati, Joanna Tomlinson, Philippe Herreweghe, Gustav Leonhardt, René Jacobs, Harry Bicket, Christopher Hogwood, Sigiswald Kuijken, Ivor Bolton, Monica Huggett, and Bruno Weil.

Sir Martin Smith was instrumental in establishing the OAE, securing crucial private funding for its inaugural work and serving on the Board for many years.

The OAE celebrated the 21st anniversary of its founding with a concert at the Royal Festival Hall on 30 June 2007, conducted by Norrington, Elder, Mackerras and Jurowski respectively.

In 2007 the OAE also won the RPS Ensemble award "for its stunning delivery of a breadth of repertoire, indefatigable advocacy of the interpretation of music played on original instruments and pioneering work in education and through a range of media – not to mention the artistry of its individual members in making each listening experience uniquely creative, engaging and thrilling."

In August 2010 the OAE played at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms season, performing Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (Act 2) and the Love Scene from Romeo and Juliet by Berlioz.

[7][8] In September 2020, the Orchestra moved its headquarters again - this time to Acland Burghley Secondary School in Tufnell Park, Camden, North London.

The Orchestra's discography covers over fifty recordings in music from Henry Purcell to Verdi working with guest artists including Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Andreas Scholl, Ian Bostridge, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Emanuel Ax, Thomas Hampson, Cecilia Bartoli, Gerald Finley, Bob van Asperen, Anner Bylsma, Viktoria Mullova, and Michael Chance.

The administrative office, library and recording studio are based on campus and the musicians use the school’s grade II listed assembly hall for rehearsals, workshops and small performances.

According to the OAE, the project has resulted in “improved academic performance and language skills, reputational benefits, greater engagement with music among pupils .

Unusual characteristics include the concise length of each performance, the invitation to bring alcoholic drinks into the concert hall, and the ability to clap and talk at your own convenience.

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment performing in the Union Chapel, Islington in 2016