Among the finest chamber orchestras in the world, The English Concert has earned a reputation for inspiring performances of baroque and classical music in the concert hall and on CD. In addition to presenting an annual season of concerts in London, it tours four continents and, since its foundation by Trevor Pinnock in 1972, has appeared regularly on the world’s most famous stages. Harry Bicket became the third artistic director in the orchestra’s history in September 2007 and is renowned for his performances of baroque opera and oratorio with many of the finest singers of the age. Recent and future collaborators with The English Concert include Anna Caterina Antonacci, Sara Mingardo, Ian Bostridge and Alice Coote. Highlights of recent seasons include a coast-to-coast tour of the US with David Daniels, a tour of Spain with performances of Handel’s Ode for St Cecilia’s Day and scenes from Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, a televised and sound-broadcast performance of Handel’s Samson at the 2009 BBC Proms, and a series of concerts at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of its International Baroque Exhibition in 2009. The English Concert has more than 120 recordings to its credit, directed by Trevor Pinnock, Andrew Manze and Harry Bicket. As steals the morn, a CD of arias by Handel with Mark Padmore, received an award in 2008 from the magazine BBC Music.