Profiles
Resident at the famous Actors' Church in Covent Garden, the Orchestra of St Paul's (OSP) brings together some of the finest professional musicians in London, under the baton of their conductor and musical director Ben Palmer. In addition to a thriving concert series in Covent Garden, OSP gives regular performances at festivals and other venues around the UK, including annual visits to Southbank Centre's Purcell Room and St John's, Smith Square.
OSP is unique among modern instrument chamber orchestras in playing music of the baroque, classical and even romantic periods entirely without vibrato. This pure tone is complemented by the orchestra’s employment of authentic articulation, phrasing and style. With the exception of natural trumpets in appropriate repertoire the orchestra does not use period instruments; however, this historically informed focus is absolutely central to the group’s approach.
The flexible line-up of the Orchestra of St Paul's adapts to suit each project, from the standard classical chamber orchestra to an ensemble of between four and fourteen players; exceptionally OSP expands to a full symphony orchestra. The group's repertoire is equally diverse; recent concerts have featured music by composers including Boyce, Elgar, Haydn, Mahler, Martinů, Poulenc, Rameau, Stravinsky and Wagner, as well as the UK première of the original version of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5.
The 2010/11 season includes a staged production of Dido and Aeneas, a programme of twentieth century works for strings that will tour to Norwich, Purcell Room and Devon, Beethoven’s Ninth at St John’s, Smith Square and a performance of Messiah on Good Friday. In June 2011 OSP will perform the winning piece from its ongoing Composition Competition, for which the judges are composers David Matthews and Judith Bingham.
Past seasons have included appearances at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the English Music Festival, Norfolk & Norwich Chamber Music series, Budleigh Festival, and concerts in Devon, North Yorkshire, Oxfordshire and Suffolk. OSP has performed alongside some of the UK’s finest soloists, including pianist Steven Osborne, violinist Thomas Gould and soprano Katherine Broderick. In March 2011 the orchestra will perform Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with baritone Roderick Williams.
The orchestra's patron is Sir Roger Norrington.