English Chamber Orchestra Newsroom

About Us

Founded almost 60 years ago, the English Chamber Orchestra is one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras. It is the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world, its discography containing nearly 900 recordings of over 1,500 works by more than 400 composers. The ECO has also performed in more countries than any other orchestra and played with many of the world’s greatest musicians. The illustrious history of the orchestra features many major musical figures. Benjamin Britten was the orchestra’s first Patron and a significant musical influence. In its almost six decades of history, the orchestra has performed with artists including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Janet Baker, Daniel Barenboim, Benjamin Britten, Colin Davis, Placido Domingo, Kiri te Kanawa, Raphael Kubelik, Raymond Leppard, Yehuhi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Luciano Pavarotti, Murray Perahia, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn, Karl Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Georg Solti, Isaac Stern, Mitsuko Uchida, Maxim Vengerov and Pinchas Zukerman.

The ECO aims to celebrate and build upon its tradition of maintaining the highest international musical standards, nurturing new talent and focussing on the ‘best of British’ music and musicianship, as well as being the chamber orchestra of choice for many of the world’s greatest soloists and, via its many and varied foreign tours, a significant export for the United Kingdom.

Since 1977 the ECO is delighted to have had as its Patron HRH The Prince of Wales and the Orchestra has performed at many royal events for him and his family, including the first concert ever to be broadcast from Buckingham Palace.

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