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Founded: 1952 (from existing ´óÏó´«Ã½ Opera Orchestra)

Diversity and versatility, watchwords of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Concert Orchestra life since its formation almost 60 years ago help define its many roles as broadcasting and performing ensemble, education and community resource and concert programming pioneer.

The orchestra's musicians are at home in a strikingly wide range of musical styles. Its performance credits span everything from Broadway and West End musicals to fully staged opera, including Madama Butterfly and Aida, and concerts based on the music of Abba, with jazz legend Ornette Coleman and with film composer Michael Nyman.

The orchestra is a regular at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Proms, Electric Proms and Proms in the Park, and has worked with such artists as Dame Shirley Bassey, Maxim Vengerov, Kavita Krishnamurti, Pet Shop Boys, Nigel Kennedy, Bryn Terfel and Burt Bacharach.

In addition to its weekly appearances on Friday Night Is Music Night on Radio 2, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Concert Orchestra performs regularly on various Radio 3 programmes and has carved itself something of a niche on ´óÏó´«Ã½ television, appearing on many shows including the Proms. It can also be heard providing the soundtracks to various ´óÏó´«Ã½ television programmes, including Planet Earth, Walking With Dinosaurs, The Key, Wild Down Under, Peter Ackroyd's London and ZingZillas.

The orchestra has also premiered new works by Dave Heath, MikeWestbrook, Paul Patterson and ErrollynWallen, among others.

Current composer in association, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, succeeded Anne Dudley in 2005. The orchestra premiered Greenwood's Popcorn Superhet Receiver in 2005 and, more recently, Doghouse.

In 2007 it teamed up with Will Gregory, one half of the electronica duo Goldfrapp, for a performance of his score toVictor Sjöström's 1924 silentmovie classic, He Who Gets Slapped. Next year they will premiere Gregory's opera at the Southbank Centre.

Working with schools, colleges and a wide range of community groups around the country remains high on the orchestra's learning agenda.

Keith Lockhart
Principal Conductor

Keith Lockhart (b. 1959, USA) joins the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Concert Orchestra whilst continuing his successful work with the celebrated Boston Pops, where he has been conductor since 1995, bringing music to a wide audience throughout New England and across America. Previous positions include music director for the Utah Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to last year. His formidable experience in broad repertoire, allied with his love of all things British, makes him perfectly positioned to lead the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Concert Orchestra through to its 60th year in 2012 and beyond.

Johannes Wildner
Principal Guest Conductor

Johannes Wildner (b. 1956, Austria) was appointed principal guest conductor of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Concert Orchestra in August 2010. In addition to his achievements as a symphonic and opera conductor, he comes to the job with a decade's experience as a violinist with theVienna Philharmonic and an accomplished career as a musicologist.

Barry Wordsworth
Conductor Laureate

Barry Wordsworth (b. 1948, UK) became conductor laureate of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Concert Orchestra in 2006, having served as its principal conductor since 1989. He has made regular appearances at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Proms with the orchestra since his first televised appearance with them at the festival in 1989. He has also toured extensively with the orchestra, including to Japan and to the United States for its 50th anniversary in 2002.