About Us
Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras’ (MCO) mission is to bring fresh perspectives, immediacy and drama to historically inspired musical performances around the world.
MCO is made up of three internationally-renowned ensembles that lead the field of period performance: the Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Our world-class musicians specialise in a variety of repertoire ranging from sacred music and chamber works to semi-staged operas.
Following critically acclaimed European and US tours in 2023, performing Bach’s Mass in B minor, Handel’s pastoral ode L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, and Berlioz’s epic opera Les Troyens, the Monteverdi Choir was named ‘Best Choir’ at the Oper! Awards in January 2024.
The Monteverdi Choir, founded in 1964, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2024. The 60th-anniversary season opened with a spectacular tour to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw in February and March performing Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem. Over three mesmerising concerts conducted by Associate Conductor Dinis Sousa, the Choir captivated audiences and critics, and the performances were met unanimously with 5-star reviews from the press, with Bachtrack calling them “truly one of the finest choirs of their time”.
The English Baroque Soloists (EBS) joined the Choir to perform Handel’s biblical oratorio Israel in Egypt in March and July 2024, conducted by Peter Whelan at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and on tour at the Palau de la Música, Barcelona, Philharmonie, Luxembourg, Chapelle Royale, Château de Versailles, Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, and Haus für Mozart, Salzburg.
In May 2024 the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (ORR), conducted by Dinis Sousa, performed Beethoven’s complete symphonies at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, and a selection of his symphonies at the Philharmonie de Paris. The Monteverdi Choir joined the ORR for performances of Beethoven’s Mass in C major and Symphony No. 9. The ORR’s recordings of Beethoven’s symphonies have been described as a “tour de force… played at white heat”, “glorious” and “magnificent” by Gramophone magazine.
MCO records on its own label, Soli Deo Gloria and collaborates with prestigious labels including Deutsche Grammophon, with over 150 recordings, films, and live streams, many of which have received critical acclaim. Notable recordings include J.S. Bach’s complete set of Cantatas, as part of the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage project in 2000 and film recordings of Monteverdi’s three surviving operas, as part of the RPS award winning Monteverdi 450 project in 2017.
Alongside performances and recordings, MCO is committed to nurturing future generations of classical musicians. The Monteverdi Apprentice Programme enables outstanding young musicians to train and perform alongside MCO’s three world-class ensembles.
Annual report
Please visit our Charity Commission page to view our most recent Annual Report.
Patron: HM The King
The Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists conducted by Dinis Sousa perform Handel’s l'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato
ORR rehearsing Beethoven Symphony No. 4 with Dinis Sousa in London in 2020
The Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists conducted by John Eliot Gardiner perform Monteverdi’s Vespers
About the Monteverdi Apprentices Programme