Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the world’s great orchestras. Acknowledged as the UK’s foremost musical pioneer, with an extraordinary recording legacy, the Philharmonia leads the field for its quality of playing, and for its innovative approach to audience development, residencies, music education and the use of new technologies in reaching a global audience.
Together with its relationships with the world’s most sought-after artists, most importantly its Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen , the Philharmonia Orchestra is at the heart of British musical life.
Today, the Philharmonia has the greatest claim of any orchestra to be the UK’s National Orchestra. It is 
committed to presenting the same quality, live music-making in venues throughout the country as it brings to London and the great concert halls of the world.In 2011/12 the Orchestra is performing more than 160 concerts, as well as recording scores for films, CDs and computer games.
For 16 years now the Orchestra’s work has been underpinned by its much admired UK and International Residency Programme, which began in 1995 with the launch of its residencies at the Bedford Corn Exchange and London’s Southbank Centre .During 2011/12 the Orchestra not only performs more than 35 concerts at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, but also celebrates its 15th year as Resident Orchestra of De Montfort Hall in Leicester and its 11th year as Orchestra in Partnership at The Anvil in Basingstoke; and launches a new residency at the new Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.
The Orchestra’s extensive touring schedule this season also includes performances in more than 30 of the finest international concert halls in Europe, China and the United Arab Emirates, with conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Lorin Maazel and Kurt Masur .
The Philharmonia and the Three Choirs Festival
Hereford 2012 marks the start of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s three-year Residency at Three Choirs Festival, ensuring not only the Orchestra’s presence at Gloucester 2013 and Worcester 2014, but opening up a whole host of supporting activity which will reach beyond the concert platform.
At its heart, the new Residency is a firm commitment from both the Festival and the Philharmonia to continue bringing world-class concert performances to each Festival. Prestigious artists with whom the Philharmonia has long-standing relationships with both in London and internationally will be making appearances as part of future Festival programmes. We’ll also be working together to develop the artistic programme ensuring that Three Choirs continues its position as one of the UK’s most distinctive and imaginative music Festivals.
This is already manifesting itself in the Hereford 2012 programme, as we welcome Venezuelan conductor Diego Matheuz, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber (Delius Cello Concerto) , a performance of a new orchestral work by Joseph Phibbs commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Anvil Arts for Summer 2012, and a recital by the young violinist Hannah Roper, recipient of the Martin Musical Scholarship awarded by the Philharmonia.
Supporting Three Choirs Festival’s ambitious strategy to develop community and education will sit central to the new partnership, the Philharmonia drawing on its extensive experience in these areas most notably via its award-winning digital programme. Safeguarding the future of the Festival through audience development initiatives that contribute and animate the wider communities in each Cathedral city are all key objectives across the coming years.
This unique partnership is about bringing together both organisations’ joint resources to exploit the many opportunities available to the world’s longest running music Festival and creating a journey from audiences, artists and the wider communities.
