Britain’s most adventurous orchestra The Times

Manchester Camerata is the UK’s most relentlessly pioneering orchestra. They believe that great music created by exceptional musicians can transform the lives of people and change the prospects of places. It can feel like a type of alchemy, something magical and transformative – this is something they witness each time they perform. Whether on a stage or in the community, their team sees how great music positively changes the lives of people that it touches.

Camerata’s inspiration stems from the visionary mindset of Music Director Gábor Takács-Nagy, who believes passionately that ‘music is spiritual medicine’. His extraordinary musicianship drives the development of their craft and nurtures the artistic and human qualities of their musicians. This in turn, gives the whole organisation courage to innovate beyond an orchestra’s normal limits to create powerful emotional connections with our audience.

These human connections lie at the heart of what Manchester Camerata does. The quality and craft of their musicians isn’t just shared with audiences. It is forged by the intimacy of the artistic and emotional connections that they make with real people in real places.

They perform all over the world but their roots are in Manchester – a city constantly reshaped by music and radicalism. Wherever they perform that heritage shapes their programme and performances. This commitment to innovation has led them to collaborate with diverse international artists, from New Order to Martha Argerich to Aziz Ibrahim to Lewis Capaldi and most recently to present UNQUIET with Robert Ames and commission new music from AFRODEUTSCHE and Carmen Villain.

They blaze a trail for other organisations, supporting the wider sector to keep pace with accelerating social and technological change. Changing the way things currently work demands courage. The courage to work in different ways and with different audiences. The courage to listen and be challenged by the lives they connect with. The courage to take risks and learn if we fail. As Camerata celebrates their 50th birthday, this courage helps them imagine what an orchestra could look like in another 50 years’ time.