Christopher Monks - Director

As founder and Artistic Director of Armonico Consort, Christopher is a dynamic and innovative conductor and keyboard player. Equally at home with early, classical and modern music, he is the driving force behind Armonico Consort’s success, developing the group from its initial inception as a choir and orchestra specialising in skilled and moving interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque and even modern music, to its latest manifestation as an opera company giving ground-breaking performances with a superb cast of professional singers, dancers, actors and musicians.

Along the way, Christopher has established an education programme now reaching out to tens of thousands of young children across the country, and is closely involved in the establishment of AC Academy, Armonico Consort's very own 100 strong children's choir.

'Christopher Monks is an accomplished director; his choir is absolutely stacked with talent' - Birmingham Post

Christopher has performed world premieres with internationally renowned musicians such as Evelyn Glennie and the fine arts brass ensemble and regularly performs with some of the country's finest musicians. He has conducted a range of high-profile orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philharmonia and the European Union Chamber Orchestra, in addition to Armonico Consort's own Orchestra of the Baroque. Among his many CDs, his recording of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen was recently awarded four stars by The Times.

Through his work with Armonico Consort, future concerts will take place in the Brigewater Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, The Cadogan Hall, The Three Choirs Festival and at venues across the world including Israel, Barbados, USA, Italy and Ireland.

Christopher was organ scholar at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and studied conducting with David Hill whilst a organ scholar at Winchester Cathedral. As a keyboard player with the CBSO, including a performance of the Saint Saens 'Organ Symphony', he has worked with numerous internationally-renowned conductors.

Conducting Evelyn Glennie with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra