Founded by cellist Dietrich Bethge in 1998 from London's leading musicians, mostly from The English Chamber Orchestra and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, London Octave aims to approach the baroque and classical repertoire in a fresh and vital manner, but principally for the players’ own enjoyment and the enjoyment of  the audience. A conductor is needed very rarely. Through their regular London season at St Martin-in- the-Fields, the South Bank and on BBC Radio 3, London Octave has attracted a loyal following of concert goers who appreciate their vitality and virtuosity. This, coupled with their programs based on major and accessible works, has established them as one of the leading chamber orchestras in Britain.  Time Out has commented, "Forget the routine baroque, this is better baroque". The size of the ensemble varies from 3 or 4 players to over 60 performers when Mozart’s Requiem is performed. The members, many of whom have distinguished individual careers, frequently take turns as soloists and leading musicians are often invited to work with the ensemble. During recent seasons, artists have included   John Lill, Nick van Bloss, Kypros Markou, William Bennett, Crispian Steele Perkins, Lorraine McAslan, Yvgeny Sudbin, Matteus Borowiak, Neil Brough, David Juritz, James Bowman, Andrew Watkinson,  Rosina Fabius. London Octave has taken part in CD recordings with James Bowman (counter- tenor) and recently gave a concert in Istanbul with the Turkish flautist Halit Turgay.   London Octave's CD, Better Baroque, featuring well known baroque masterpieces received great acclaim, being described as, "an absolute gem full of sparkle and wit" in Metro. This CD includes debut recordings of Bach and Scarlatti by the acclaimed pianist Yevgeny Sudbin.    Dutton recently released a new CD by London Octave (conductor Kypros Markou)  featuring works by the early 20th century American composers  A.Foote and V.Herbert.

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