Aurora Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra , co-founded in 2004 by conductors Nicholas Collon and Robin Ticciati . The orchestra is based in London, where it is Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre and Resident Ensemble at Kings Place . The orchestra was also previously Associate Orchestra at LSO St Luke's , and performs regularly at other venues including St George's, Bristol , the Colyer-Fergusson Hall in Canterbury , and The Apex in Bury St Edmunds . It has developed a particular reputation for creative programming and concert presentation, including pioneering memorised performance as a regular feature of its artistic output. Since its launch in 2005, it has worked with artists ranging from Ian Bostridge , Brett Dean , Anthony Marwood and Sarah Connolly to Edmund de Waal , Wayne McGregor and Björk .
8-610: In 2004, Nicholas Collon , Robin Ticciati and fellow members of the National Youth Orchestra established Aurora, which gave its first public performance in 2005. In March 2011, the Arts Council of England included Aurora Orchestra in its new "national portfolio" scheme. Aurora, which had not been a "regularly funded organisation" under the council's previous funding scheme, was awarded this support as one of
16-520: A minimum term of three years, with an estimate of 6 weeks of appearances per season. In June 2017, the Residentie Orchestra announced Collon's appointment as the Residentie Orchestra's sole chief conductor and artistic advisor, effective 1 August 2018, with a minimum of 8 weeks of appearances per season. He stood down as chief conductor of the Residentie Orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season. In 2017, Collon first guest-conducted
24-567: The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO). In May 2019, the FRSO announced the appointment of Collon as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season. He is the first non-Finnish conductor to be named chief conductor of the FRSO. In February 2023, the FRSO announced the extension of Collon's contract as its chief conductor through the 2027–2028 season. Collon has conducted commercial recordings with
32-522: The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYOGB). He studied at Eton and was an organ scholar at Clare College, Cambridge . One of his conducting mentors was Sir Colin Davis , and Collon has served as an assistant conductor to Sir Mark Elder . In 2004, Collon, Robin Ticciati and fellow NYOGB musicians founded the Aurora Orchestra , with Collon as its artistic director. He was awarded
40-428: The "smaller adventurous music ensembles". Aurora Orchestra first appeared at The Proms in family-themed concerts in 2011 and 2012. The orchestra subsequently returned for late-night Proms in 2013 and in 2014, the latter of which featured the premiere of Meld by Benedict Mason . In this and subsequent appearances at The Proms, the orchestra featured major classical works performed entirely from memory: In June 2011,
48-604: The 2008 Arts Foundation Fellowship for conducting, from a list of twenty nominated British conductors. For the 2011–2012 season, Collon was Assistant Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra . In April 2007, Collon conducted Mozart 's The Magic Flute , directed by Samuel West , in Ramallah and Bethlehem , the first-ever staged opera production in the West Bank , and returned in 2009 with
56-667: The Aurora Orchestra's debut album of Nico Muhly 's Seeing Is Believing was released. The orchestra has also made commercial albums for Warner Classics, and other albums including: In May 2011, Aurora won the Ensemble category of the annual Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards for calendar year 2010. Nicholas Collon Nicholas Collon (born 7 February 1983 in London) is a British conductor. A viola player, organist and pianist by training, Collon played viola in
64-641: The same team for performances of La bohème . His English National Opera conducting debut was in September 2012. In June 2013, he conducted the British stage premiere of Jonathan Harvey 's opera Wagner Dream for Welsh National Opera . In June 2015, the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague announced the appointment of Collon as its co-principal conductor, effective 1 August 2016, for
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