Sir John Eliot Gardiner has announced new ensembles and plans for a tour of world-renowned concert venues.

The new ensemble, The Constellation Choir and Orchestra, will feature some of Europe’s most distinguished musicians and singers alongside special guest soloists.

The ensemble will be led by Gardiner in a series of concerts at five venues in Germany, France, Austria, and Luxembourg this December.

The tour is Gardiner’s response to direct personal invitations from the venues to assemble musicians and singers and the program will open at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg followed by concerts at the Wiener Konzerthaus, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Konzerthaus Dortmund, and Chateau de Versailles. There will also be a tour in 2025 and 2026.

In a statement, Gardiner said, “It gives me great pleasure to announce the foundation of Springhead Constellation, a unique new project embodying a vibrant collective of musical ensembles, creative artists and makers. Our flagship groups, The Constellation Orchestra and The Constellation Choir will produce ambitious, multidisciplinary performance projects that tour around the world. Our aspiration is to create accessible, engaging and educational performances that resonate across all generations and geographies. Since my return to conducting in Montpellier in July, I have been deeply moved and inspired by the extremely warm and enthusiastic messages of support I have received from musicians, presenters and promoters alike. I made clear when I parted company with the MCO earlier this summer that I was not in any sense ready to retire. I said I would be focussing on a rich variety of new projects. Springhead Constellation and this tour – which will be the first of many – represents the realisation of that commitment and I am hugely energised about what we can go on to achieve together. More than anything else, I am so excited and grateful to be working with such exceptional musicians once again, not forgetting the important lessons I have learnt and needed to learn from the past year.”

Earlier this summer Gardiner announced his resignation from Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras. The conductor announced in February that he was extending his leave of absence following an August 2023 incident in which Gardiner attacked bass William Thomas backstage during a performance of Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” because he exited the podium on the wrong side after the first part of the opera. The incident caused Gardiner to apologize publicly and cancel all public performances.