Orpheus Britannicus
Orpheus Britannicus was founded by Andrew Arthur in 2002; consisting of a period-instrument ensemble and vocal consort, its players and singers are drawn from some of the UK’s leading performers in their field and the ensemble has developed a reputation for its expressive and historically informed approach to the rich vocal and instrumental chamber repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The name ‘Orpheus Britannicus’ is taken from the title of Henry Purcell’s two great volumes of songs, published by Henry Playford in 1698 and 1702 respectively.