Formed in 1995, Orchestra of the Swan is a British chamber orchestra which, under the artistic direction of David Le Page, is passionate about audience inclusivity and blurring the lines between genres, through its adventurous and accessible programming.
The Swan presents over 45 concerts a year – both live and digital with a catalogue of over 20 recordings. We are passionate about new music and has premiered more than 70 new works by composers including Joe Cutler, Tansy Davies, Joe Duddell, Alexander Goehr, Roxanna Panufnik, Joseph Phibbs, Dobrinka Tabakova, Errollyn Wallen, Huw Watkins, John Woolrich and many others.
Our latest album Labyrinths, named ‘Album of the Week’ by Scala Radio, has received both critical and popular acclaim, with tracks from the album having been streamed over a million times since its recent release and the album nearly 2 million times. The concert and album draw together diverse repertoire from the medieval 14th-century street music of La Rotta to contemporary compositions by Nico Muhly, Trish Clowes and the orchestra’s own David Le Page, whose bespoke orchestral arrangements unite the wide-ranging works across the album.
Watch The Swan’s Artistic Director, David Le Page discuss the new direction for the Swan and new projects.
The Swan has been enormously successful in making a positive and effective contribution to the communities at the heart of its ‘immersive residencies’ in Herefordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Birmingham with an ambitious programme of work in care homes, schools and rural areas growing year by year. Based at the Stratford Play House, in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Swan is proof that an orchestra really can be an indispensable and relevant part of the community with its aim to entertain, educate and engage in a way that truly makes it a living orchestra.
Orchestra of the Swan’s associate artists has included Peter Donohoe, Tasmin Little, Julian Lloyd Webber, Benjamin Grosvenor, Laura van der Heijden, Raphael Wallfisch and Tamsin Waley-Cohen.
Find out who our current associate artist is.
“Nothing defines the Orchestra of the Swan better than its commitment to new repertoire….(with) programmes (that) have a knack of making connections which are genuinely stimulating”
THE GUARDIAN
