Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale

Now in its 42nd year, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale (PBO) is the leading and largest ensemble of its kind in North America and the second-largest orchestral organization in the Bay Area. Under the musical direction of Richard Egarr and performing repertoire from the Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic periods, as well as new music and opera, PBO is a highly versatile historically-informed ensemble comprising the 32-member Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and 24-voice Philharmonia Chorale. The organization presents a signature season of 24 mainstage concerts in four Bay Area venues, at least 8 annual off-season programs, including large-scale opera productions, several alternative series, including SESSIONS and Jews & Music, commissions new works regularly through its long-standing New Music for Old Instruments program, produces a comprehensive suite of education programs for youth and adults and maintains a robust national and international touring schedule. The ensemble appears regularly at Lincoln Center, Disney Hall, and Yale’s Norfolk Chamber Festival, among many others. In 2020, PBO won the San Francisco Classical Voice award for Best Opera in the Bay Area for its acclaimed production Aci, Galatea e Polifemo. PBO maintains deep artistic partnerships and relationships with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Davóne Tines, Tarik O’Regan, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Errollyn Wallen, Matthew Aucoin, and the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) and was the first orchestra in the Bay Area to commission Caroline Shaw to compose four acclaimed works. The organization also maintains a partnership with The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance division now, six years running, and engages with the conservatory in coaching, mentoring, and side-by-side performances featuring Orchestra members and students. The ensemble has made more than 50 commercial recordings and has its own record label. PBO has been on a major growth trajectory for the past seven years and is sought after as a co-commissioner and partner by organizations in the US, Europe, and Australia. Artistic output has more than doubled in this time and continued growth in key areas will continue apace. The organization is governed by a working board of directors who reside in the Bay Area and across the country cans.