orchestra of the age of enlightenment

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and has its headquarters at Kings Place. The leadership is rotated between four musicians, Alison Bury, Matthew Truscott, Kati Debretzeni and Margaret Faultless. A group of period instrumentalist players formed the OAE as a self-governing ensemble in 1986, and took its name from the historical period in the late 18th century where the core of its repertoire is based. The OAE does not have a principal conductor, but chooses conductors individually. Having no permanent music director gives the orchestra flexibility to work with some of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists across a wide range of music. The current Principal Artists are Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Iván Fischer and Sir Mark Elder. Emeritus Conductors are Frans Brüggen, the late Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Roger Norrington. Other conductors to have worked with the OAE at its invitation include Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Edward Gardner, Robin Ticciati, Philippe Herreweghe, Gustav Leonhardt, Mark Elder, René Jacobs, Harry Bicket, Christopher Hogwood, Marin Alsop, Sigiswald Kuijken, Ivor Bolton, Monica Huggett, and Bruno Weil.