London Chamber Orchestra

Patron: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall
President: Vladimir Ashkenazy

Music Director & Principal Conductor:
Christopher Warren-Green

Artistic Director & Concertmasters:
Rosemary Furniss and Vasko Vassilev

It is the absolute passion, energy and enthusiasm of every one of its members that marks LCO out as a sensational orchestra rather than a merely brilliant one.

London is a city blessed with more fine professional orchestras than any other city in the world. What’s different about the London Chamber Orchestra?

Our difference is founded on independence – LCO receives no grants and is not supported by any public body. We depend for our existence on the enthusiasm of our audiences and on the support of a long line of distinguished and enlightened corporate sponsors and donors including HSBC, Waitrose, Petro-Canada and, for the first time this season, we are delighted to welcome CNN, Lazard and Endeavour. Our independence helps us foster the unique personality and character with which our performances are infused.

Our difference is supported by our long-standing willingness to embrace the new – LCO has given more than 100 UK premieres, including works by Arnold, de Falla, Fauré, Janácek, Ravel, Vaughan Williams, Stravinsky, and, most recently, Graham Fitkin and James Francis Brown. Last season we premiered Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ ‘The Golden Rule’, written to mark HM The Queen’s 80th birthday. We also choose to work enthusiastically with the brightest young stars in music when inviting our soloists and guest artists, and also when selecting new members of the orchestra.

Ours is a difference that’s rooted in tradition – LCO is the longest established professional chamber orchestra in the UK, founded in 1921 by Anthony Bernard, and premiering at the London home of Viscountess Nancy Astor. Recognition for the orchestra has also included invitations to perform at Buckingham Palace from HRH The Prince of Wales in April 2006, and for HM The Queen at Kew Palace in the same month.

Our difference is recognised not just in our London residency and highly popular annual season at St. John’s, Smith Square, but increasingly around the UK and the world with sell-out concerts in La Scala, Milan and Vienna’s Musikverein and critically acclaimed tours to the USA and Japan. Our annual residency in Hong Kong continues in December. Following our return as orchestra in residence for the 2nd Hong Kong International Piano Competition in October 2008 at the invitation of our President, Vladimir Ashkenazy, we will be touring Asia.

But above all, you can see what’s different about LCO in the faces of our musicians – every one of whom has been selected from the finest professional musicians the UK has to offer – faces which radiate the passion, enthusiasm, commitment, vigour, intensity, exuberance, freshness, inspiration and a sheer sense of enjoyment that pervade our performances, in our BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and in our recordings on the Virgin record label.