ENO Orchestra

The award-winning ENO Orchestra is renowned for the versatility of its repertoire spanning four centuries, providing the musical landscape and emotion for all ENO productions.

As equally at home in the fun and sparkle of Gilbert and Sullivan as it is in Wagner’s epic scores, it also brings to life the complexities and colours of contemporary operas including those by Birtwistle, John Adams, Tansy Davies, as well as musical theatre productions like Sweeney Todd, Sunset Boulevard and My Fair Lady.

With an established reputation for its Handel work, from pioneering performances with Charles Mackerras in the 1980s to new work with specialists like Laurence Cummings for the BBC Two broadcast of Messiah (Easter 2021), in recent years the Orchestra has also received praise for the stamina and commitment it brings to the operas of Philip Glass, including the award-winning productions of Satyagraha and Akhnaten.

Benefiting from the experience and passion of its players, the ENO Orchestra attracts some of the country’s brightest talent. It actively seeks to train the next generation of players through the ENO Evolve scheme with the Royal College of Music; to increase representation to reflect our society with its Orchestral Fellowships for ethnically diverse players; and support a new generation of conductors through the ENO Mackerras Fellowship.

It also seeks to inspire young people in its work with the ENO Engage department, welcoming schools to its dress rehearsals, playing and recording for educational projects and participating in workshops.