The Academy of St Martin in the Fields was named after the various concert-giving societies, or ‘Academies’,?that had flourished in eighteenth-century London, and after the famous church at Trafalgar Square in which it gave its first concert on 13 November 1959.?Led by Neville Marriner and attracting some of the finest players in London, the orchestra at first concentrated on repertoire from the baroque era. Within two years it had secured its first recording contract, going on to become the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world with a discography that now boasts more than 500 entries. Alongside its performances with Sir Neville Marriner CBE, its Life President, and Director Kenneth Sillito, the Academy now collaborates with a number of guest directors, including Murray Perahia, Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham and Anthony Marwood. In addition to?its concerts and outreach work in the UK it maintains a busy schedule of international touring.?In 1997 it was invited to perform during the official handover celebrations in Hong Kong and more recently was the first guest orchestra to appear at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, in Los Angeles.?Since 2002 the Academy has been the resident orchestra at the Mostly Mozart Festival at London’s Barbican Centre.