About
The Olivier Award-winning Irish Baroque Orchestra is celebrated as Ireland's flagship period instrument orchestra and delivers world-class historically-informed performances across Ireland and abroad. Under the artistic direction of Peter Whelan, scholarship and musical excellence converge in a unique way through the IBO’s work, creating an original offering like no other organisation on the Irish classical music scene. Through this integration of research and practice the very idea of an orchestra is defined afresh, providing an unusual and enriching experience for today’s audiences.
As an ambassador for the stories of Ireland’s musical past, the IBO uses its unique perspective to develop the growing store of knowledge surrounding the very early days of Baroque and Classical music in Ireland. The IBO's research, recordings and performances offer audiences across Ireland a new opportunity to reevaluate and reclaim their cultural heritage, while also engaging the Irish diaspora through the increasing global reach of this work. Even Handel's Messiah - an annual touring highlight in the IBO calendar - is a rekindled link to Dublin's cultural life in 1742.
The Irish Baroque Orchestra is generously funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. It also receives financial support from Culture Ireland to support an expanding international profile, and Dublin City Council for Dublin HandelFest. The orchestra has its own collection of period instruments, purchased with the assistance of an Arts Council capital grant and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The IBO is resident at the National Concert Hall, Dublin and as of 2021 is an ensemble and Board member of the Réseau Européen de Musique Ancienne (European Early Music Network).
Images courtesy of Orla Keeshan, from Dublin HandelFest 2023 at Dublin Castle.
The Irish Baroque Orchestra is committed to artistic excellence for public benefit through an open and inclusive culture which places music first and finds strength in diversity.
The artistic ambitions of the organisation are underpinned by common values of respect, transparency, communication and a commitment to a shared vision for the orchestra.
Our Mission
The IBO's artistic mission centralises the reclaiming of Ireland's cultural heritage with recordings, performances and digital features. This work is led by its Irish Artistic Director, Peter Whelan, and is driven by his scholarship and expertise.
Eighteenth-century Ireland is rich with stories and music, much of it unrecorded, giving the IBO a distinctive voice in the Irish arts scene and a unique offer for international audiences.
Through this integration of research and practice the very idea of an orchestra is defined afresh, providing an unusual and enriching experience for today’s audiences.
Our Vision
The IBO's vision sees historically-informed performance occupying a central space in Ireland's arts landscape through strategic development of artistic and educational programmes, driven by a focus on inclusion and access.