City Of London Sinfonia
The City of London Sinfonia is a medium-sized group that often collaborates with choirs and opera companies. The group has a major presence in London's concert life, appearing everywhere from traditional concert halls to clubs.
The City of London Sinfonia, often CLS, was founded in 1971 by conductor Richard Hickox, who shaped the group fundamentally and remained its music director until 2008. It was originally called the Richard Hickox Orchestra. The group collaborated with choirs from the beginning, appearing in a 1973 performance of Handel's Messiah at a Royal Albert Hall Promenade concert. The CLS made its first recording in 1975, issuing an album of Bach masses on the Argo label. The change to the name City of London Sinfonia came in 1979 when the group was installed as resident ensemble at the still-under-construction Barbican Centre. The CLS began its international career with a tour of West Germany in 1985 and has continued to tour in many countries, often annually. In the mid-'80s, the CLS made several recordings for the Collegium label of music by John Rutter with the Cambridge Singers. The group began a new residency at the summer Opera Holland Park company in 2004 and continues to hold that position as of the mid-2020s.
The group often collaborates with both choral ensembles and opera companies and in 1997, its recording of Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes won a Grammy Award. The group has a large repertory ranging from the Baroque to contemporary works; in its earlier years, it often focused on British music. Michael Collins was named principal conductor in 2010, with Stephen Layton serving as artistic director; since 2017, the group has been led by violinist Alexandra Wood in the position of creative director. The orchestra's recording catalog is vast, although its pace slowed somewhat in the 2010s; it has recorded for Chandos, Signum Classics, Hyperion, and many other labels. In 2023, the CLS backed The Wimbledon Choral Society on a Signum Classics recording of Cecilia McDowall's Da Vinci Requiem and 70 Degrees Below Zero. By that time, the group's recording catalog comprised more than 60 digital items, plus earlier releases during the LP era.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Dyson: Three Concertos
Richard Hickox, City Of London Sinfonia, Eric Parkin
Concertos - Released by Chandos on Jul. 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nigel Osborne: I Am Goya, Flute Concerto, Remembering Esenin & The Sickle
City Of London Sinfonia, Richard Hickox
Classical - Released by NMC Recordings on Sep. 30, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gwilym Simcock: On a Piece of Tapestry - EP (Live)
John Sessions, Michael Collins, Gwilym Simcock, City Of London Sinfonia
Classical - Released by NMC Recordings on Jul. 21, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dyson: Violin Concerto & Children's Suite after Walter de la Mare
Richard Hickox, City Of London Sinfonia, Lydia Mordkovitch
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on May 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3 & 4
City Of London Sinfonia, Cristina Ortiz
Classical - Released by imp on Jan. 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5
City Of London Sinfonia, Cristina Ortiz
Classical - Released by imp on Jan. 1, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 24
Classical - Released by Hallmark on Jan. 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven : 'Emperor' Concerto & 'Waldstein' Sonata
Classical - Released by imp on Jan. 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
City Of London Sinfonia, Cristina Ortiz
Classical - Released by ImpDigital on Jan. 1, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphony Nos. 3 & 8
Classical - Released by Maestoso on Jan. 1, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Concetos for Clarinet
Classical - Released by Maestoso on Jan. 1, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Classical - Released by Maestoso on Jan. 1, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Water Music
Classical - Released by Maestoso on Jan. 1, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo