City of London Sinfonia
Encyclopedia
The City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is an English
chamber orchestra based in London
. In London, the CLS performs regularly at Cadogan Hall
and St Paul's Cathedral
. It is also the resident orchestra at Opera Holland Park
. The CLS has annual residencies in four towns in Southern England: Ipswich
, King's Lynn
, High Wycombe
and Chatham. It records regularly and makes an overseas tour every year. The CLS performs chamber orchestra and ensemble repertoire from the Baroque period to the present day, and has a particular reputation for its programming focus on the human voice.
Richard Hickox
founded the CLS in 1971 and remained its music director and artistic director until his death in November 2008. Past principal guest conductors have included Marin Alsop
and Douglas Boyd
. In November 2009, the CLS announced the appointment of Stephen Layton
as its second Artistic Director, effective with the 2010-2011 season, for an initial contract of 3 years. Layton is also to have the title of Principal Conductor. Simultaneously, the CLS announced the appointment of clarinetist Michael Collins also as Principal Conductor, effective in September 2010, for an initial period of 3 years.
The CLS has won various awards, such as the Royal Philharmonic Society's Large Ensemble Award, the 'Best Opera Recording' Grammy for its recording of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes, and the Arts, Business and Sustainability Award from the national organisation Arts & Business, in recognition of the achievements of its partnership with principal sponsor MMC. The CLS carries out a variety of education and community activities all over the UK. Musicians spend around 100 days a year making music with a wide range of community groups, young and old, across the UK. In addition, the CLS began in 2000 its professional skills development programme, Development Through Music, which uses music as a means of exploring behaviours and attitudes in business and professional organisations.
The CLS has recorded chamber orchestra and opera repertoire for a number of labels, including Chandos and Hyperion.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
chamber orchestra based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In London, the CLS performs regularly at Cadogan Hall
Cadogan Hall
Cadogan Hall is a 900-seat capacity concert hall on Sloane Terrace in Chelsea / Belgravia in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, United Kingdom...
and St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
. It is also the resident orchestra at Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park is a summer opera company which produces an annual season of opera performances staged under a temporary canopy in Holland Park, a public park in a wealthy district of west central London of the same name. The venue is fully covered but is open at the sides.The canopy was...
. The CLS has annual residencies in four towns in Southern England: Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
, High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
and Chatham. It records regularly and makes an overseas tour every year. The CLS performs chamber orchestra and ensemble repertoire from the Baroque period to the present day, and has a particular reputation for its programming focus on the human voice.
Richard Hickox
Richard Hickox
Richard Sidney Hickox CBE was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music.-Early life:Hickox was born in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire into a musical family...
founded the CLS in 1971 and remained its music director and artistic director until his death in November 2008. Past principal guest conductors have included Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop is an American conductor and violinist. She is the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.In 2012, Alsop will replace Yan Pascal Tortelier as principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra....
and Douglas Boyd
Douglas Boyd
Douglas Boyd is a British oboist and conductor. He studied oboe at the Royal Academy of Music, London, as a pupil of Janet Craxton. He later was a student with Maurice Bourgue in Paris...
. In November 2009, the CLS announced the appointment of Stephen Layton
Stephen Layton
Stephen Layton is an English conductor.Layton was raised in Derby, where his father was a church organist. Layton learned the piano as a youth. He was a chorister at Winchester Cathedral, and subsequently won scholarships to Eton College and then King's College, Cambridge as an organ...
as its second Artistic Director, effective with the 2010-2011 season, for an initial contract of 3 years. Layton is also to have the title of Principal Conductor. Simultaneously, the CLS announced the appointment of clarinetist Michael Collins also as Principal Conductor, effective in September 2010, for an initial period of 3 years.
The CLS has won various awards, such as the Royal Philharmonic Society's Large Ensemble Award, the 'Best Opera Recording' Grammy for its recording of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes, and the Arts, Business and Sustainability Award from the national organisation Arts & Business, in recognition of the achievements of its partnership with principal sponsor MMC. The CLS carries out a variety of education and community activities all over the UK. Musicians spend around 100 days a year making music with a wide range of community groups, young and old, across the UK. In addition, the CLS began in 2000 its professional skills development programme, Development Through Music, which uses music as a means of exploring behaviours and attitudes in business and professional organisations.
The CLS has recorded chamber orchestra and opera repertoire for a number of labels, including Chandos and Hyperion.