Orchestra Innova

Our Vision

Orchestra Innova is a new orchestra made up of the newest generation of musicians, and it is dedicated to music here and now— music of the present, revitalized, and music of the past, seen through new eyes. The orchestra works to make music new by approaching all aspects of orchestral music from a new perspective: innovating concert formats and experiences, programming creatively, and playing music, old and new, with the energy, passion, and commitment of a new generation of musicians. It aims to make contemporary music not just accessible but enjoyable and engaging, and to probe repertoire of the past in order to find what it has to tell us in the 21st century. It aims to create new and engaging concert experiences featuring diverse styles and ensembles, to connect with audiences where they are, and to craft a more dynamic and democratic version of orchestral music.

Orchestra Innova has led an exciting inaugural season, featuring Beethoven, Shostakovich, Debussy, and Pérotin, and looks forward to a full 25/26 season.

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Upcoming Concerts

Iannis Xenakis, Arvo Pärt, Bela Bartok, and new commission by Robert Baird.
Location: 19:00 at St James’s Church, Sussex Gardens, London W2 3UD
Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Johannes Brahms Requiem.
Location: TBC
Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Cage, and Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony.
Location: TBC
Renaissance Madrigals, Igor Stravinsky, and Johannes Brahms’s 3rd Symphony.
Location: TBC

Meet Our Conductor

Christopher Knox Oakey is a rising young American conductor and pianist. He is in demand as a soloist, a collaborative pianist, and a conductor, and performs internationally, in concerts and festivals in places ranging from New York to London to continental Europe. He is dedicated to making music for today, with innovative concert programs that champion new and recent works and look at classics with fresh eyes.

He is currently based in London, studying at the Royal College of Music with Andrew Zolinsky, Toby Purser, and Dorian Leljak. He is the Chief Conductor of Orchestra Innova, Assistant Conductor of Kensington Chamber Choir, and is active as both a choral and an orchestral conductor. He is also a talented collaborative pianist, and frequently collaborates with both instrumentalists and singers.

In 2025, he founded Orchestra Innova. In 2024, he received Honorable Mention in the Brooks van der Pump English Song Competition. In 2023, he co-founded and conducted the Philadelphia Composers’ Orchestra in recording two new works by composers Adah Kaplan and Dan Virgen. From 2022 to 2023, he was the pianist of the Ben & Carol Auger Contemporary Music Advanced Study Ensemble. His conducting debut was with the Music & More Summerfest Orchestra in August 2022, and he also received second prize in the Music & More Summerfest Concerto Competition that year. Musicians Knox has worked with include Pascal Nemirovski, the JACK Quartet, Mark Shapiro, Pauliina Tukiainen, Pascal Verrot, Dorian Keilhack, Arbo Valdma, Richard Uttley, Mariana Rosas, and Simon Lepper. He is passionate about music of all genres ranging from the medieval to the contemporary, as well as styles beyond classical.