The City of London Sinfonia was founded in 1971 by Music Director, Richard Hickox. The Sinfonia has toured all over the world, performing at world-renowned concert halls in countries such as Australia, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Greece, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. In London, the Sinfonia regularly performs at The Barbican, one of London’s première venues, and regularly participates in some of the world’s leading music festivals.

Nicholas Ward was born in Manchester and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music before moving to London where he joined the Melos Ensemble and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This was followed by work mainly with the London Mozart Players and Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields before he became a member and then latterly leader of the City of London Sinfonia. Since the early 1980s he has been artistic director of the Northern Chamber Orchestra, directing the orchestra from the leader’s chair.