Armonico Consort is an acclaimed choir and instrumental ensemble, inspiring audiences, creating singing opportunities for young people, and supporting people living with dementia through music.
Inspiring audiences with passionate performances
Critically acclaimed choir and instrumental ensemble Armonico Consort entertains audiences across the country with its high quality concerts, outstanding recordings and innovative projects.
The legacy of a choir that lasts forever
AC Academy is Armonico Consort’s extensive and imaginative singing education programme, which reaches 15,000 young people a year offering life-changing experiences and first-class performance opportunities through fun and engaging singing projects.
Helping communities through the power of music
Led by Armonico Consort’s professional musicians, we bring our expertise and knowledge to create amazing musical experiences for communities. We provide singing programmes for young people, employees, older adults, care homes and singing workshops for people who are living with dementia.
What's On
ARMONICO’S GREAT BIKE CHALLENGE CHARITY CONCERTS!
ARMONICO'S GREAT BIKE CHALLENGE CHARITY CONCERTS!: 08/09/2026 - 11/09/2026
Following a day of conquering the enormous hills of Devon and Dorset, racing from school workshops to care home concerts (with a few pub busking stops along the way), some of the world-class singers and instrumentalists of Armonico Consort will arrive in Budleigh Salterton, Lyme Regis, and Wimborne to perform highlights from the GREATEST ORATORIO
SUPERSIZE POLYPHONY 3 – VENETIAN BLINDERS!
SUPERSIZE POLYPHONY 3 - VENETIAN BLINDERS!: 02/09/2026 - 07/10/2026
A MESSAGE FROM CHRISTOPHER MONKS ABOUT OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT! My musical journey started with Monteverdi and the Venetian Schools. That has inspired so much of what we have gone on to develop at Armonico Consort and has never ceased to inspire me and our musicians. The sharp eyed will notice that within the programme
VOCES DE MÉXICO: AN AFTERNOON WITH ESPERANZA AZTECA CHAMBER CHOIR
VOCES DE MÉXICO: AN AFTERNOON WITH ESPERANZA AZTECA CHAMBER CHOIR: 27/09/2026 - 27/09/2026
Join us for a vibrant afternoon as the Esperanza Azteca Chamber Choir visits the UK for the very first time. Visiting from Mexico for a week of musical exchange with Armonico Consort and AC Academy, the choir brings an exhilarating programme shaped by rhythmic vitality, passion, and youthful brilliance. Expect colour, commitment, and a powerful
FAURÉ REQUIEM
FAURÉ REQUIEM: 10/11/2026 - 10/11/2026
One of my proudest achievements has been the creation of the AC Academy Scholarship programme, which supports talented young people and helps them develop both their musical potential and their ambitions. This Autumn, four of our choral scholars will be studying at Oxford and Cambridge simultaneously—an achievement that surpasses that of most schools in the
J.S. BACH’S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO PART 1, 3, 5 & 6
J.S. BACH'S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO PART 1, 3, 5 & 6: 01/12/2026 - 01/12/2026
I only discovered Bach’s immense Christmas Oratorio in my 20’s and was completely blown away by how it was impossible to listen to without a smile. As in his Great Mass in B Minor, the Christmas Oratorio follows Bach building a work made of his own greatest hits, incorporating many moments of his earlier genius,
CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT
CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT: 15/12/2026 - 22/12/2026
When I created our Carols by Candlelight, I wanted to capture the warmth and intimacy of the carol services I grew up with: the comfort of familiar favourites, the excitement of discovering new music, and, of course, an essential helping of Rutter. Above all I wished to restore a spiritual and Christian heart to the
THE FORGOTTEN SCARLATTI
THE FORGOTTEN SCARLATTI: 14/01/2027 - 28/01/2027
This was the programme that first made our name, back when we were still students. We made a rather rough early recording with Dame Emma Kirkby, which marked the beginning of our international touring career. Twenty years later, Geoffrey Webber revisited and re-edited the works, and our record label invited us to re-record the programme.
PURCELL’S DIDO & AENEAS
PURCELL'S DIDO & AENEAS: 18/03/2027 - 18/03/2027
We first performed this back in 2005 with James Bowman and Dame Emma Kirkby – it was as much a masterclass in performance as it was Baroque interpretation. Since then, we’ve refined our own distinctive and highly engaging, entertaining approach to this masterpiece. It has become our most frequently performed programme worldwide, though this is
J. S. BACH’S ST MATTHEW PASSION – 300th Anniversary Performance
J. S. BACH'S ST MATTHEW PASSION: 26/03/2027 - 26/03/2027
To me, Bach’s St Matthew Passion stands alongside my other all-time favourite work…his Great Mass in B Minor. In both, Bach’s profound faith and extraordinary insight into human nature are evident in every bar. Calling it ‘genius’ barely does it justice, and although I have conducted the work more than 20 times, each rehearsal and
TELEMANN’S FLUTE
TELEMANN'S FLUTE: 19/05/2027 - 20/05/2027
I have long wanted to include Purcell’s smaller anthems in performance, and this programme provides the perfect opportunity to do so. It is particularly rewarding to be able to showcase these works through our outstanding AC Academy Scholars, who bring such freshness, skill, and sensitivity to the music. Their performances allow these anthems to come
VIVALDI & MOZART
VIVALDI & MOZART : 17/06/2027 - 20/06/2027
In my mid-teens, two concerts made a lasting impact on me – the first was watching Nigel Kennedy do quite crazy things with the violin in Vivaldi’s masterpiece, and the second was playing organ continuo for the first time in a school performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the same time the film ‘Amadeus’ came out.
ARMONICO CONSORT – ON DEMAND
News
Christopher Monks reflects on a musical research pilgrimage
Peace in Our Time: Andrew Wainwright’s new work and children’s musical interludes convey hopes for peace
Supersize Polyphony
THE TIMES
Splendid - Naked Byrd 2
THE INDEPENDENT
Dido & Aeneas – “The vocal ensembles are beautifully sparse and luminous and the instrumental playing is brightly streamlined.”
THE GUARDIAN
THE TELEGRAPH
