Distinguished British symphony orchestra Sinfonia of London has a rich and multifaceted history spanning over seven decades that can be broken down into three distinct eras and ensembles. The first version of the award-winning ensemble was founded in 1955 by flautist Gordon Walker, who brought together former members of the London Symphony Orchestra to pursue more lucrative work in the film industry. Best known for providing music for such films as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), Gorgo (1961), and many others. They also tackled many classical pieces including conductor Sir Colin Davis’ first recordings of Mozart Symphonies 29 and 30. By 1970, the Sinfonia of London had disbanded but the name was purchased and revived in 1982 by Peter Willison and conductor / musician Howard Blake. The first recording of the second version of the Sinfonia of London was the soundtrack to the acclaimed animated film The Snowman. This ensemble focused on film and television scores including Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), Robocop (1987), Batman (1989), Tombstone (1993), Stargate (1994), Lost in Space (1998), The Mummy Returns (2001), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003), and many others. This second version of the ensemble went silent in 2002, but they were revived again in 2018 by conductor John Wilson, who re-established Sinfonia of London as a full-fledged symphony orchestra. Since then, they’ve released over 30 albums, hit the top of the classical music charts, and won many honors from the BBC Music Magazine Awards, The Critics’ Circle Awards, the Gramophone Classical Music Awards, and others. Acclaimed releases by this third version of Sinfonia of London include Korngold: Symphony in F sharp/Straussiana/Theme & Variations (2020), Respighi: Roman Trilogy (2021), Music for Strings: Vaughan Williams, Howells, Delius, Elgar (2024), Oklahoma! (2024), and Lerner and Loewe: My Fair Lady (2025).
