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Academy of Ancient Music

Did You Know?

The Academy of Ancient Music has made over 250 recordings, more than any other period-instrument orchestra in the world. In concert, the AAM has toured to every continent …. except Antarctica!

About the Member

Academy of Ancient Music

Recently hailed as a “superb period instrument band” by the New York Times, the Academy of Ancient Music is a household name renowned on a global stage for performances of baroque and classical music in styles and on instruments dating back to the time when the music was composed. Whenever we play, we cut through centuries of convention to get back to the spirit and the style in which pieces were originally performed.

Under the visionary leadership of our founder, the conductor and scholar Christopher Hogwood, we built up a global following of music lovers by performing regularly on every continent except Antarctica and releasing well over 250 recordings. In doing so we assumed an important role as one of the UK’s most active cultural ambassadors. Our early work with Christopher in the 1970s and 1980s was at the forefront of what became known as the "early music revolution". His groundbreaking research on how the music of the baroque and classical periods was originally performed has had a transformative impact on the world of classical music, and lies at the heart of the AAM's present-day reputation for musical excellence.

In 2006 Hogwood passed the directorship of the AAM on to Richard Egarr, a pioneering member of the next generation of early music specialists. In his first three years as Music Director, Richard led tours to four continents, released CDs which have already won the Gramophone, MIDEM and Edison awards, and founded the award-winning Choir of the AAM. He shares the direction of the orchestra with a diverse pool of guest directors ranging from Japanese Bach specialist Massaki Suzuki to virtuoso Italian violinist Giuliano Carmignola to choral experts Stephen Cleobury and Stephen Layton.

In 2008–09 we made history with the first ever live choral “cinecast”: our performance of Handel’s Messiah with the choir of King’s College, Cambridge was enjoyed by tens of thousands of people in cinemas around the globe. We performed in the flesh for audiences the world over, travelling to venues as diverse as New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Roman amphitheatre at Sabratha, Libya and the Beijing Concert Hall. And we maintained our recording tradition with distinction, releasing no fewer than six new CDs.

While our playing continues to be praised by the critics for its “world-beating” excellence (Gramophone) and its “high-octane” ebullience (Financial Times), it’s often our audience members who best sum up what makes the AAM so special. “Your concert last week was otherworldly”, wrote an American fan on our Facebook page in March 2009. “I never realized how desensitized our modern ears are: it took a while to adjust to the gentleness of your sound, but when I did I heard things I’ve never heard before. Thank you”.

Contact details

Telephone: 01223 301509

info@aam.co.uk

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