Britain's Classical Opera Company uses the term "Classical" in its narrow sense: the company is devoted to the music of the Classical period, specifically to the operas of Mozart and his contemporaries. The group has grown steadily, earning bookings in top British venues and launching a complete cycle of Mozart operas and, after merging with the instrumental group The Mozartists, an ambitious effort to present Mozart's musical life chronologically and place him in the musical context of his time. The Classical Opera Company was founded in 1997 by Ian Page, an opera conductor who had served apprenticeships in the Scottish Opera, the Opera Factory, and the Drottningholm and Glyndebourne opera houses. The group's stated goal is to create historically informed performances of music by Mozart and his contemporaries, using period instruments. It is an instrumental ensemble; part of its mission is to use the talents and encourage the careers of strong young signers. The Classical Opera Company has toured France, Italy, Germany, and Austria as well as appearing at major British venues including Southbank Centre, the Barbican, Wigmore Hall, and Birmingham Town Hall. The company has specialized in lesser-known Mozart works, unusual version of his operas, and operas related to Mozart, such as Gluck's La clemenza di Tito. In 2009 the group was featured in the Royal Opera production of Thomas Arne's Artaxerxes. In 2010 the Classical Opera Company issued the album Blessed Spirit: A Gluck Retrospective on the Wigmore Hall Live label. The company launched a full cycle of Mozart operas in 2012; several of these, including the rare Il rè pastore, Bastien und Bastienne, and Zaïde, have been issued on the Signum Classics label. In 2015 the Classical Opera Company merged with The Mozartists and began the Mozart 250 project, an unprecedented effort to explore, year by year on its 250th anniversary, the music of Mozart's life and that of the composers who influenced him. ~ James Manheim, Rovi