Academy of Ancient Music was founded in 1973, with a mission that seemed revolutionary at the time. It began with a simple, radical question: what could historical research tell us about the way the composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries approached their music? Our founder, the harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood, hoped that ‘by studying their manuscripts and instruments, by returning to the colours, the style and clarity of their individual periods, we can rediscover their works.’

Today, under the direction of Laurence Cummings, AAM is reaffirming its founding values. Through the ensemble’s education programme AAMplify it is sharing its expertise with emerging performers and listeners. Above all AAM gives live performances that put its principles and our scholarship into living, inspirational practice.

In its sixth decade AAM continues to explore: uncovering forgotten repertoire, and charging even familiar classics with an emotional conviction that sweeps away barriers and unites performer and listener alike. To discover the world anew is one of life’s most fulfilling experiences – one that AAM aims to share every time it plays.