Frans Brüggen founded the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century,
50 members from 23 countries, in 1981.

Three, four or sometimes even more times a year the Orchestra gathers for an international tour. The musicians, all specialists in eighteenth and early nineteenth century music, play on period instruments or on contemporary copies. It is their intention to try to achieve the most authentic as possible performances of the masterpieces of the late baroque and classical era.

Frans Brüggen's wide ranging repertoire with his
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century
includes works by Purcell, Bach, Rameau, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Mendelssohn.

In its structure and size, the
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century
resembles the luxurious "Classical" orchestras of the period as we know them from London, Paris and Vienna.

At the time of its foundation the Orchestra was supported by friends throughout the world and the Prince Bernhard Foundation. From 1983 to 1988 the orchestra was sponsored by IBM Europe. From 1989 till 1997 Deloitte and the VSB Fonds took over the sponsorship. Subsidies from the Dutch Government guaranteed the Orchestra's continuation from 1985 till now.

Once the world's most famous recorder player, today Frans Brüggen is considered among the foremost experts in the performance of eighteenth century music.

Frans Brüggen was born in Amsterdam where he studied musicology at the university. At the age of 21, he was appointed professor at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and later held position as Erasmus Professor at Harvard University and Regent's Professor at the University of Berkeley, making him one of the youngest musical scholars of all time. As Luciano Berio wrote, "a musician who is not an archeologist but a great artist".

Frans Brüggen's conducting activities in recent years have included engagements with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Hamburg Philharmonic, the Oslo Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zürich, the Stockholm Philharmonic, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris.

In August 1991, Brüggen made his debut at the Salzburg Festival with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, while his return visits to the Festival included a highly-praised series of concerts with the Mozarteum Orchestra. In October 1992 Frans Brüggen, together with Simon Rattle, became the principal guest conductor of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. For more than a decade there is a close relation with the chamber orchestra of the Dutch Radio, the Radio Kamer Filharmonie.

Recent operatic engagements included Mozart's Mitridate, Re di Ponte in Zürich, Gluck's Orfeo with the Opéra de Lyon and Les Indes Galantes of Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Frans Brüggen continues extensive touring and recording with his
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century.