Formed in 1959 by Sir Neville Marriner and a group of London’s leading orchestral players, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields was instrumental in the 1960s Baroque revival. Since then its repertoire has broadened considerably, with its discography now numbering more than 1,000 releases. Today, it divides its time between recording, UK concerts and overseas tours. In 1993 the Academy became the first orchestra to receive a Queen’s Award for Export Achievement and four years later it was invited to Hong Kong to play for the official hand-over celebration, an engagement that included performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The Academy’s work with Opera Rara includes the recordings of Nelly Miricioiu – Rossini Gala, La Romanzesca e l’uomo nero, Zoraida di Granata and Ricciardo e Zoraide.