Described recently by The Independent as 'top-notch' and as having 'impeccable instrumental ensemble', the Corelli Orchestra is one of the country's few regionally-based period-instrument orchestras. The Corelli Ensemble will be taken from this group of consummate musicians.

Resident at the Pittville Pump Room since 2003, and directed from the harpsichord by its founder Warwick Cole, it is modelled in its style and composition on eighteenth-century court orchestras.

Central to the Corelli's ethos is a commitment to vibrant, engaging performances - 'the players have their own individual charisma which visibly communicates' (Classical Music) - and a desire to explore the still untapped riches of eighteenth-century music.

Recent 'firsts' in its innovative programming have taken in St Georges, J. C. F. Bach and Vivaldi-pupil, Giovanni Verocai. But above all, the emphasis is on the needs of its audiences: to date, the Corelli Orchestra has received no state funding or sponsorship and is thus uniquely market orientated.