The Heritage Orchestra is a British classical music ensemble that was founded in 2004 by conductor and composer Jules Buckley. The ensemble is known for its innovative approach to classical music, blending it with other genres such as jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music. Jules Buckley, who was born in 1980 in Kent, England, studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He began his career as a conductor in 2003, when he was appointed as the assistant conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 2004, he founded the Heritage Orchestra, which he envisioned as a platform for exploring new ways of presenting classical music. The Heritage Orchestra's main members are its conductor Jules Buckley and its musicians, who are drawn from a wide range of musical backgrounds. The ensemble has a core group of around 40 musicians, but it also collaborates with guest artists and performers on a regular basis. One of the Heritage Orchestra's early highlights was its performance at the 2006 BBC Proms, where it played a program of classical music arranged in a jazz style. The performance was well-received by both audiences and critics, and it helped to establish the ensemble's reputation as an innovative force in classical music. Since then, the Heritage Orchestra has gone on to perform at some of the world's most prestigious venues and festivals, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. The ensemble has also collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Jamie Cullum, Laura Mvula, and Goldie. One of the Heritage Orchestra's most notable collaborations was with the electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. In 2011, the ensemble worked with Basement Jaxx to create a new version of the duo's album "Scars," which they performed live at the Barbican Centre in London. The performance was a critical and commercial success, and it helped to cement the Heritage Orchestra's reputation as a versatile and innovative ensemble. In addition to its live performances, the Heritage Orchestra has also released several albums, including "Heritage" (2012), which features arrangements of classical music by composers such as Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, and "The Breaks" (2019), which blends classical music with hip-hop and electronic beats. The Heritage Orchestra has received numerous awards and accolades for its work. In 2010, the ensemble won the Jazz FM Award for Best Live Performance, and in 2012, it won the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Ensemble. The ensemble has also been nominated for several other awards, including the Mercury Prize and the Ivor Novello Award. Overall, the Heritage Orchestra is a unique and innovative ensemble that has helped to redefine the boundaries of classical music. With its blend of classical, jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music, the ensemble has attracted a wide and diverse audience, and it continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in classical music performance.

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