About Us

 

Patron: HM Queen Sofia of Spain


The EUCO gave its first concerts in 1981 and has since gained a worldwide reputation as a musical ambassador for the European Union. Regular tours take it worldwide and performances have included those in the presence of Queen Noor of Jordan, the King and Queen of Belgium and its own Patron, Queen Sofia of Spain. In 1999 EUCO gave a concert to mark the 77th birthday of King Sihanouk of Cambodia in the Royal Palace at Phnom Penh and in 2000 performed for the birthday of Princess Galyani in Bangkok.

An annual schedule of some 60 concerts includes many prestigious halls such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Frankfurter Alte Oper, Brussels' Palais des Beaux Arts and Symphony Hall in Birmingham. The Orchestra has appeared at international festivals such as Val Gardena, Flanders, Echternach, Bodensee and Mecklenburg Vorpommern and regularly tours within Europe.

With assistance from the European Commission, EUCO intercontinental tours regularly cover Asia, both South and Central America and the Middle East. At the invitation of the European Delegation, it toured Mexico six times and in 1996 was the first "European" Orchestra to give concerts in Belize and Cuba. In 1997 EUCO's tour of Canada celebrated 500 years since the landing of John Cabot and in 1998 EUCO toured India in celebration of 50 years of Indian independence and the British Presidency of the EU. Following two successful visits to Sri Lanka, EUCO returned in 2002 to the Indian sub-continent, as well as to the Persian Gulf and Vietnam.

The Orchestra has performed with many distinguished artists including Cyprien Katsaris, James Galway, Severino Gazzeloni, Lazar Berman, Mischa Maisky and Igor Oistrakh and commissions works from leading European composers. It has to its credit 18 CDs on ASV, Carlton, Hyperion, Koch and Regent.

EUCO has received funds from the British Council, Goethe-Institut, the Ministry of Culture of Spain, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy and the Cultural Relations Committee of Ireland.

The Orchestra performs with the support of the European Community budget line, "Support to organisations which promote European Culture.".

Director General: Ambrose Miller
Music Directors: Hans-Peter Hofmann, Eva Stegeman, Gernot Süssmuth, Matthias Wollong

The European Union Chamber Orchestra Trust is a registered Charity no.297643


Chairman: Gareth Keene, Treasurer. Antony Pitkin