Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

The ethos of the Orchestra is based on democracy; with the idea that the players are not simply technicians but also actively guide the artistic direction of the orchestra. When it began anyone who wanted to could become a member of the orchestra, although they would not necessarily be asked to play. Responsibility for concert planning is given to a Players' Artistic Committee (members of which also sit on the OAE Board of Directors) which is elected annually by the members.

An early mission statement stated that the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was to "Avoid the dangers implicit in:

playing as a matter of routine,

pursuing exclusively commercial creative options,

under-rehearsal,

undue emphasis as imposed by a single musical director,

recording objectives being more important than creative objectives."

The OAE's first concerts, in June 1986, were booked at Oxford's Town Hall and London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. Conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken, their first programme consisted of an Overture Suite by Telemann, Rameau's Suite from Dardanus, a symphony by Gossec and Haydn's Symphony No. 83. The founding leaders were Catherine Mackintosh, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Alison Bury and Margaret Faultless.