Continuo Connect — Profile // Early Opera Company

Founded in 1994 by its music director, Christian Curnyn, Early Opera Company is now firmly established as one of Britain’s leading early music ensembles.

Our vision is to celebrate baroque music in ways that delight and inspire audiences. We collaborate with world-class partners, inspire audiences with outstanding productions, recordings and broadcasts of baroque opera and early music, and invest in the professional development of the next generation of baroque-specialist musicians.

We received an Olivier Award nomination (Outstanding Achievement in Opera) with Royal Opera House for Monteverdi Orfeo at the Roundhouse and Cavalli L’Ormindo at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. This association continued with 5-star reviews for Rossi Orpheus at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and Monteverdi The Return of Ulysses at the Roundhouse.

We have a strong reputation for our performances of Handel, including performances of Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Acis and Galatea, Serse, Alceste and La Resurrezione, with performances at Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square, London. The Company also focuses on the music of the French baroque, including Charpentier Actéon and Rameau Platée and Castor et Pollux.

Frequently broadcast on BBC, EOC featured on #OperaPassion day on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune from the V&A Museum, BBC4’s TV series Rule Britannia: Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th century, BBC Radio 3’s Opera on 3 (Monteverdi The Return of Ulysses) and at BBC Proms.

In 2017 Chandos released Handel Acis and Galatea on CD to critical acclaim including Album of the Week in the Sunday Times and winner of the Opera category in the BBC Music Magazine awards. Previous recordings include Serse, Alceste, Partenope, Semele and Flavio, with awards including BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Our next recording for Chandos, Handel’s Amadigi with Tim Mead in the title role, was released in September 2022.

In May 2023 EOC provided the orchestra for seven sell-out performances of Handel’s opera Arminio at the Royal Opera House, performed by members of the 2022/2023 Jette Parker Artists Programme.