Aurora Orchestra

Aurora Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra, co-founded in 2004 by conductors Nicholas Collon and Robin Ticciati. The orchestra is based in London, where it is Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre and Resident Ensemble at Kings Place.^[1] The orchestra was also previously Associate Orchestra at LSO St Luke's, and performs regularly at other venues including St George's, Bristol, the Colyer-Fergusson Hall in Canterbury, and The Apex in Bury St Edmunds. It has developed a particular reputation for creative programming and concert presentation,^[2] including pioneering memorised performance as a regular feature of its artistic output.^[3] Since its launch in 2005, it has worked with artists ranging from Ian Bostridge, Brett Dean, Anthony Marwood and Sarah Connolly to Edmund de Waal, Wayne McGregor and Björk.^[4]

In 2004, Nicholas Collon, Robin Ticciati and fellow members of the National Youth Orchestra established Aurora, which gave its first public performance in 2005.^[5] In March 2011, the Arts Council of England included Aurora Orchestra in its new "national portfolio" scheme.^[6] Aurora, which had not been a "regularly funded organisation" under the council's previous funding scheme, was awarded this support as one of the "smaller adventurous music ensembles".

Aurora Orchestra first appeared at The Proms in family-themed concerts in 2011 and 2012. The orchestra subsequently returned for late-night Proms in 2013^[7] and in 2014,^[8] the latter of which featured the premiere of Meld by Benedict Mason. In this and subsequent appearances at The Proms, the orchestra featured major classical works performed entirely from memory:

• 2014: Symphony No 40 by Mozart
• 2015: Symphony No 6 by Beethoven^[9]
• 2016: Symphony No 41 by Mozart^[10]
• 2017: Symphony No 3 by Beethoven
• 2018: Symphony No 9 by Shostakovich^[11]
• 2019: Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz^[12]
• 2020: Symphony No 7 by Beethoven^[13]
• 2021: The Firebird by Stravinsky^[14]
• 2022: Symphony No 5 by Beethoven^[15]
• 2023: The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky^[16]
• 2024: Symphony No. 9 by Beethoven^[17]
• 2025: Symphony No. 5 by Shostakovich

In June 2011, the Aurora Orchestra's debut album of Nico Muhly's Seeing Is Believing was released.^[18] The orchestra has also made commercial albums for Warner Classics,^[19][20] and other albums including:

• This Is the Day (2012), conducted by John Rutter, produced by Thomas Hewitt Jones and released on Collegium Records (COLCD 136)^[21]
• Introit: The Music of Gerald Finzi (2016), conducted by Nicholas Collon, produced by Alexander Van Ingen and released on Decca Classics (DECCA 4789357)^[22]

In May 2011, Aurora won the Ensemble category of the annual Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards for calendar year 2010.

• Official website