The English Baroque Soloists was formed as a chamber orchestra in 1978 by John Eliot Gardiner and has since established itself as one of the most renowned ensembles devoted to historically informed performance. These musicians have made appearances throughout Europe as well as in America, Asia, and Australia, performing at La Scala in Milan, the Pompeii Amphitheatre, Berlin’s Philharmonie Hall, the Paris Châtelet, Lincoln Center in New York, the Sydney Opera House, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. Between 1990 and 1996, John Eliot Gardiner and the orchestra recorded the seven mature Mozart operas, winning numerous awards with these releases. No less sensational was the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage Project, which Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, and the English Baroque Soloists undertook in 2000 in connection with the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, performing all 198 of Bach’s cantatas in more than sixty European churches. In the Mozart Year 2006, the Salzburg master’s compositions were the focus of the programs that The English Baroque Soloists performed on tour in many European countries, in the Far East, and in the United States. At the Royal Opera House in London they performed Il re pastore and La finta giardiniera. In 2007 the ensemble gave several concerts in Paris’s Cité de la Musique, where John Eliot Gardiner was the subject of a special “Domaine Privé” focusing on the music of Rameau and his contemporaries. In the 2008-09 season, The English Baroque Soloists turned their attention to Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, also recording the Brandenburg Concertos. In addition, they made eleven appearances as part of a residency at the Spitalsfield Music Winter Festival.
Previous appearance at the LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF): September 2, 1994 with John Eliot Gardiner conducting Mozart’s Thamos, King of Egypt and the Mass in C minor.