About us
We make music that matters.
We make music for change.
Manchester Camerata is a registered charity working and performing in Manchester and worldwide since 1972.
Be it opening Glastonbury Festival in front of 40,000 people or working in care homes across Greater Manchester with people living with dementia, Manchester Camerata believes in the transformative and connecting power of music. It constantly challenges and redefines what an orchestra can be.
Led by its visionary Music Director, Gábor Takács-Nagy, and its artistic partners, Manchester Camerata has toured internationally, performing in the world’s most iconic concert venues with the greatest artists in classical music. Our flagship Mozart, Made in Manchester series has gained accolades from the greatest in classical music – our musicians craft is at the heart of everything we do.
A hunger to push its craft forward has led the orchestra to seek out new spaces and collaborations, partnering with pioneering producers from the underground electronic music scene and bringing music into the hearts of schools and communities.
Manchester Camerata’s groundbreaking Music in Mind Programme for people living with dementia is backed by 12 years of research in partnership with The University of Manchester. The orchestra is seen as a world leader in music and dementia healthcare and has recently been awarded the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia.
Based at the Monastery in Gorton, Manchester, the Camerata sees a vibrant and exciting future for classical music, investing in the next generation of musicians in the north with its Camerata 360° Ruth Sutton Fellowship programme.
Manchester Camerata believes that music has the power to change the lives of people and transform the prospects of places.
The Orchestra and Concerts
As an orchestra committed to excellence, we continually challenge ourselves to explore new venues, present innovative programmes, and uphold our standards in every performance, whether that is on the streets of Gorton or the stages of world-class concert halls.
Our orchestra give us sound, excitement and creativity, making Manchester Camerata the innovative ensemble it is today. Our incredible players embody our principals of Originality, Humanity, Excellence and Fearlessness. Here’s what the press say about us:
★★★★★ ‘… They are simply really good, in a way that’s easy to thrill to but hard to describe’
The Telegraph
★★★★★ ‘It doesn’t get much better than this’
The Independent
‘This must be the most multifaceted bunch of musicians in Britain’
The Times
★★★★★ ‘Incisive empathy’
The Observer
‘One orchestra is leading the way’
BBC One
The Orchestra and Community work
Music is a powerful tool for expression, communication and social connection.
Camerata in the Community
Our work in the Community uses music to improve lives across cultural education and health & social care.
Be it providing vital music therapy for people living with dementia, training professional carers and running dementia Music Cafes as part of our Music In Mind programme, or empowering young people through our music-making work in schools, bringing together communities through music is at the heart of what we do. We work with a highly skilled group of specially trained professional musicians, music therapists, composers and theatre makers to develop and make this work happen, alongside more than ten years’ research partnership with The University of Manchester.
Music and dementia
Meaningful moments of connection, a conversation without words.
Manchester Camerata has been delivering its award-winning Music in Mind programme for people with dementia and their carers since 2012, supporting people living with dementia and their carers to live well through the unique power of music.
Led by professional musicians, music therapists and our own Music Champions, Music Cafés provide ‘in the moment’ person-centred care for people living with dementia. They bring moments of joy, connection, true expression and help enhance the wellbeing of all who attend.
In May of 2024 we were awarded the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia. Now, our Music in Mind team is working on a Greater Manchester-wide project to train as many Music Champions in our Music in Mind techniques as possible. To get involved, visit their website via the link below.
Music and Young People
Our projects use creativity to promote personal and social development within young people’s lives, by creating new music on each project and making sure everyone’s ideas are heard – and valued.
Facilitated by a resident team of Manchester Camerata musicians plus specially-trained composers, music therapists, theatre makers and visual artists, we encourage expression, communication and development of new skills through music making.
Governance
All of Manchester Camerata’s work starts with a strong foundation of strong corporate governance. In the last reporting period, we continued to strengthen our governance and internal systems to ensure that our Board of Directors can maintain a clear strategic overview of Manchester Camerata’s work.
This included a comprehensive review of our five-year strategic plan and work to revise our vision and values as well as a Statutory Review and the subsequent revision of our Memorandum and Articles of Association. We also strengthened a number of our internal processes, improving our data management systems to capture better information about our audiences and the impact we are achieving and implementing new financial systems for the organisation.
We undertook a strategic review of the Board’s skillset and diversity, identifying gaps and recruiting to fill them. This process resulted in welcoming four new members to our board, bringing new experiences, skills, and perspectives that will support our work enhancing and elevating lives through world-class music.
One of the board’s core responsibilities is ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organisation. Many of our discussions and actions throughout the previous 12 months have been focused on supporting this aspiration. These have included uplifting the pay of our freelance musicians to support a pipeline of talent and making key strategic decisions that drive commercial revenue whilst respecting the organisation’s core purpose. It is by taking this long-term view that the board is building a foundation that will support the next 50 years of impact.
Staff & Board
Introducing our staff and board that keep Manchester Camerata breaking the boundaries of what it means to be an orchestra.
Meet our supporters and partners
We are lucky to call these individuals and organisations our supporters. Without them and your donations we wouldn’t be able to do what we do day in and day out.