Sir Neville Marriner conductor
Like his mentor and hero, Pierre Monteux, Sir Neville Marriner began life as a violinist, playing first in a string quartet and trio, then in the London Symphony Orchestra, during which period he founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
After his studies in America with Maestro Monteux, he began his conducting career in 1969, when he founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, at the same time developing and extending the size and repertoire of the Academy, and guest conducting orchestras all over the world.
In 1979 he became Music Director and Principal Conductor of both the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Südwestk Deutsche Radio Orchestra, Stuttgart, positions he held until the late into the 1980's.
Subsequently he has continued to work with orchestras round the globe - Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Athens, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His recording career is well documented and his touring schedule extensive.
He made his opera debut conducting Le nozze di Figaro, at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, his US debut in Los Angeles with La Cenerentola, then a Salzburg Mozarteum production of Il re pastore. He opened the new opera house in Athens in 2005 with a production of The Magic Flute.
Twice honoured for his services to music in his own country, he has recently been awarded honours in France, Germany and Sweden.
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Academy of St Martin in the Fields has an enthusiasm for fresh, brilliant interpretation of the world's most loved classical music.
We are not reliant on any one venue. We travel the world to bring our vivid sound to a small music festival in Teignmouth, Devon, England, as well as to a huge concert hall in Tokyo, Japan. Our music is equally loved in New York and Nuremberg. Whilst our heritage and roots are in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, our mission is to bring our unique interpretation of classical music to all parts of London, all parts of Britain, indeed all parts of the World.
We are known for our polished and refined sound, with performances rooted in outstanding musicianship. And whilst our focus is the Classical era, we are never afraid to perform something completely new. Our founder is Sir Neville Marriner, whose vision and inspiration have kept the Academy sound alive. Today we are led artistically by our Music Director, and the membership of the orchestra who create an annual programme of inspirational and inventive performances. Each year we also work with some of the world's most talented soloists and directors. We re-invent ourselves from a large chamber orchestra to a small chamber group, so that we can display the music at its very best.
We also have a responsibility to the future. So we spend time with young musicians, in schools, in music colleges and with people who are less privileged because we truly believe our music can make a difference to their lives. We enjoy our work and want to enthuse our audiences, re-pay our supporters and partner our sponsors.
