Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields

Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields was formed in 1958 as a small, conductorless chamber ensemble, based in the elegantly porticoed 18th-century church on the east side of Trafalgar Square. Led by Neville Marriner, one of the leading Baroque violinists of the day, and attracting some of the finest players in London, the orchestra at first concentrated on repertoire from the Baroque era, developing a style of performance that launched the 1960s Baroque revival and paved the way for today's myriad period-instrument ensembles.

The Academy was so named after the various concert-giving societies that had flourished in 18th-century London - most notably the Academy of Ancient Music, which met weekly at the Crown & Anchor Tavern on the Strand, and the Royal Academy of Music, for which Handel wrote many of his finest works. It gave its first professional concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 13 November 1959.
Only two years later it had secured its first recording contract, with the independent L'Oiseau-Lyre label, founded by the eccentric Australian millionairess Louise Hanson Dyer. This was to be the beginning of a literally record-breaking discography that now boasts well over 500 entries, making the Academy the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world. Thanks to this huge recorded catalogue and widespread radio coverage, both the Academy's name and that of the church where it began its life have become familiar to audiences across the globe. Even though it is now over 30 years since it was permanently based at St Martin-in-the-Fields itself, people still turn up at the church most Sunday mornings asking when the Academy's next concert is, though these days it is to be found more often playing at secular venues like the Barbican (where it is resident orchestra for the annual Mostly Mozart Festival) or the Wigmore Hall.

The Academy has always maintained a busy touring schedule and made its first appearance in Europe at the Flanders Festival in 1967. This was quickly followed by tours to France, Holland and Germany, establishing a relationship with German audiences in particular that has seen the orchestra return there at least once a year since 1973. It was for a tour to Germany in 1975 that the Academy Chorus was formed under the direction of Laszlo Heltay. These first performances were of Bach's B minor Mass and, soon after their return to England, the choir and orchestra made one of their most successful joint recordings, of Handel's Messiah. Today the Academy regularly performs to capacity houses around the world. In 1997 it was chosen to play at the official hand-over ceremony in Hong Kong, while more recently it opened the first subscription series at the new Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. As demand for the Academy grew, so did the scope of its repertoire and the size of the orchestra, and eventually Sir Neville was forced to give up directing from the leader's chair in favour of conducting from the front. But while this has enabled the Academy to explore new symphonic repertoire never envisaged at its outset, the orchestra has continued to remain true to its origins as a compact chamber orchestra, and now divides its time between international tours, education and outreach work, the recording studio and UK concerts. Unlike most major UK orchestras, the Academy receives no direct government subsidy and relies solely on its artistic integrity and commercial initiative for its continued success. It has, however, benefited in recent years from various Lottery grants and charitable trusts, supporting its educational and developmental work.