Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Supported by The European Union and The Gatsby Charitable Foundation

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, established in 1981, comprises 57 members coming from all over Europe.

The players pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of eminent chamber ensembles, and as professors of music.

Performances are given regularly in the major cities of Europe, and occasionally in the USA and Japan.

The COE has strong links with the Lucerne Festival, the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, the Styriarte Festival in Graz, and also with certain of the major concert halls in Europe. These include the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Philharmonie in Cologne, the Southbank in London, and the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse.

Over the years the COE has developed especially close relationships with Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and works frequently with Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Ivan Fisher, Thomas Hengelbrock, Vladimir Jurowski, Jannick Nezet-Seguin, Andras Schiff and Mitsuko Uchida.

The COE’s list of recordings includes over 250 works, many produced on its own “COE Records” label in association with Sanctuary Records, a division of Universal Music. It has won numerous prizes for its recordings including three Gramophone Record of the Year awards and two Grammys.

The COE was appointed an “Ambassador” of the European Union in 2007, and benefits from substantial support from the EU Culture Programme. It has also had significant support from The Gatsby Charitable Foundation over recent years.