| English Chamber Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
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| Founded | 1948 |
| Concert hall | Cadogan Hall,Wigmore Hall |
| Music director | Stephanie Gonley |
| Website | www |
TheEnglish Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a Britishchamber orchestra based inLondon. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts atCadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs atWigmore Hall.
The English Chamber Orchestra has its origins in theGoldsbrough Orchestra, founded in 1948 byLawrence Leonard and Arnold Goldsbrough. The name was considered to prevent success outside of the UK and in 1960 it was changed to the English Chamber Orchestra, when Quintin Ballardie (a principal violinist with the original orchestra) invited Dr. Ursula Jones-Strebi to found and co-manage the new orchestra,[1][2] where they also expanded its repertoire beyond theBaroque period for the first time. Its repertoire remained limited by the group's size, which has stayed fairly consistently at around the size of an orchestra ofMozart's time.
Shortly afterwards, it became closely associated with theAldeburgh Festival, playing in the premieres ofBenjamin Britten'sA Midsummer Night's Dream (1960),Owen Wingrave (1970),Curlew River and several other of his works. The occasions on which Britten conducted the orchestra included the opening concerts of theQueen Elizabeth Hall andSnape Maltings in 1967.[3] He also made a number of records with the group.
The orchestra did not at this time have a principal conductor but worked closely with a succession of guest conductors includingRaymond Leppard,Colin Davis andDaniel Barenboim. In 1985,Jeffrey Tate was appointed the ensemble's first principal conductor. In 2000,Ralf Gothóni was appointed second principal conductor.
In June 2009, the English Chamber Orchestra namedPaul Watkins its newmusic director, effective with the 2009–2010 season, for an initial contract of three years.[4] The orchestra has also worked regularly with guest conductorsPaul Goodwin,Lawrence Power andJames Sherlock. In 2023, the orchestra appointedRoberto Forés Veses as Principal Guest Conductor. Having led the orchestra for over 30 years, Stephanie Gonley was recognised as Leader and Principal of the English Chamber Orchestra in 2023.
King Charles III has been patron of the orchestra since 1977.[5]
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