Patrick Ayrton

British-born Patrick Ayrton established himself as a central figure in the historically informed performance movement, serving first as a keyboardist and later taking on conducting duties, most notably in his adopted homeland, the Netherlands, where he has also earned recognition as an educator.

Born in London in 1961, he initially trained on piano before shifting his focus to organ and harpsichord, pursuing studies in Switzerland followed by instruction at Vienna’s Academy of Music and Figurative Arts under Alfred Mitterhofer, Michael Radulescu, and Erwin Ortner. Additional work in the Netherlands with Ton Koopman led him to settle permanently in that country, where he joined the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, offering courses in improvisation, continuo, and chamber music. His solo engagements have carried him across numerous nations, encompassing collaborations with both contemporary groups such as the London Symphony Orchestra and period-instrument ensembles including the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam. Dutch conductor Arie van Beek prompted him to cultivate his own podium skills, resulting in appearances with the Orchestra of the Auvergne, the Latvian Radio Choir, and the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. Ayrton established the period-instrument ensemble Les Inventions to investigate lesser-known eighteenth-century scores, among them compositions by Joseph Touchemoulin and Thomas Linley, and the group has frequently partnered with the British vocal ensemble Voces8. Several of his recordings have appeared on the Globe label, among them the 2019 jazz-Baroque fusion project Some Like It Plucked.