London Sinfonietta & OAE to leave Kings Place

The two orchestras were some of the earliest artistic tenants at the newly constructed Kings Place and have helped to establish the venue’s local, national and international reputation. Complementing their on-going residencies at the Southbank Centre, Kings Place has provided a base for collaborative working and new thinking for both organisations since 2008, while at the same time nurturing and growing its own diverse, inspiring and award-winning artistic programme. 

The offices were always conceived as an integral part of the offer to the orchestras in the early years of the project, this change however will allow Kings Place Music Foundation to invest even more in its artistic programme in the future. The London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter Millican and Kings Place Music Foundation for the extremely generous rental conditions that it has provided over the past 11 years, and are delighted that their close Artistic Association with Kings Place Music Foundation will continue beyond the move.  

Peter Millican, Founder and Executive Chair of the Kings Place Music Foundation says:
“Setting up a new arts venue has been a steep learning curve and I could not have wished for more inspiring collaborators than the London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. They not only helped to inject life into the building from the day that it opened but, through their programmes and educational programmes, ensured that we quickly became a part of the local community”. 

Andrew Burke, Chief Executive & Artistic Director of the London Sinfonietta, says:
“Our move to Kings Place came at a perfect time for the London Sinfonietta, as we passed our 40th anniversary and looked to the next phase of our mission to inspire audiences with new music. While working at Kings Place, the office team and our group of world-class musicians have been able to develop a new scale and type of activity which is now providing models for more widespread UK touring and audience, schools and community engagement, including through our Turning Points series. Having just passed our landmark 50th anniversary in 2018, we now look forward again as we seek new office headquarters and to write the next chapter of our story. We are hugely grateful to Peter Millican and his Kings Place team for the past 11 years of support in the building and the firm friendships we have created that will continue in our on-going Artistic Association with Kings Place”

Crispin Woodhead, Chief Executive of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, says:
“It has been a privilege to have Kings Place as our base. We have enjoyed ten years in inspiring space and have benefitted greatly from that in so many respects as an organisation. We launched our music and science series here ‘Bach, the Universe and Everything’ and whilst we plan our move to a new headquarters, we look forward to many more exciting artistic events in a building which will always feel like home. We’ve also forged deep connections with local schools and the community and will continue to nurture those relationships into the future. We’d like to record our gratitude to Kings Place Executive Chair Peter Millican and the Kings Place Music Foundation for so many years of valuable support.”