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 17th and 18th 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.’
It was a bold ambition. AAM was not alone in its field, but it was in the vanguard, making recordings of Handel, Purcell, Mozart and many more that have helped to define the way we play – and listen – today. We’re proud of our recordings (more than 300, with countless Classic BRIT, Gramophone and Edison awards), and of our partnerships with some of the most inspirational and inquisitive artists in the field, such as Richard Egarr and Robert Levin – with whom, in 2024, we completed the first ever recorded cycle of Mozart’s works for keyboard and orchestra.
Today, under the direction of Laurence Cummings, AAM is reaffirming its founding values. We manage our own record label, and through our education programme AAMplify we’re sharing our expertise with emerging performers and listeners. Above all, we give live performances that put our principles and our scholarship into living, inspirational practice. We are proud to be an Associate Ensemble at the Barbican Centre, London and the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice, and Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge.