The Academy of St Mary-le-Bow is a unique ensemble of outstanding musicians. Brought together by their love of high-quality orchestral music-making, members of the orchestra have studied at leading conservatoires or universities, been part of prestigious organisations such as the National Youth Orchestra, or previously worked as professional orchestral players, but now pursue careers outside music. The ensemble provides these players with the opportunity to keep making orchestral music to the highest standard with like-minded players.

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The orchestra ensemble performs around six major concerts a year across the city and holds a residency at the historic church of St Mary-le-Bow in the City of London. The ensemble is flexible in number, enjoying a huge variety of repertoire from well-known symphonic masterworks to more intimate concerts of Baroque and Classical repertoire and chamber music. Though the ensemble is regularly directed by its Artistic Director, Alex Fryer, it also frequently engages guest conductors and guest leaders for unconducted performances.

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The Academy of St Mary-le-Bow was formed in 2016 and, under the stewardship of a dedicated committee of players, has gone from strength to strength. The orchestra has performed over 50 concerts across five London boroughs and collaborated with numerous guest conductors, leaders and soloists. Recent highlights have included Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony with a chorus of 150 singers at Smith Square Hall, performances of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and The Miraculous Mandarin, Beethoven’s 6th Symphony directed from the violin by Britten Sinfonia’s Alexandra Caldon and Stravinsky’s Firebird and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker performed with newly devised narration.

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