Conservatoir Ensemble with Duncan Honeybourne and Robert Markham
BRAHMS, Sonata in G Op 78,
JOUBERT, Piano Sonata,
JOUBERT, Lyric Fantasy,
SHOSTAKOVITCH, Piano Quintet.
Biographical details and background on the ensemble to follow
Ensemble 360
Naomi Atherton HORN
Marie Bitlloch CELLO
Sara Bitlloch VIOLIN
Laurène Durantel DOUBLE BASS
Guy Eshed FLUTE
Donald Grant VIOLIN
Tim Horton PIANO
To be confirmed BASSOON
Matthew Hunt CLARINET
Martin Saving VIOLA
Adrian Wilson OBOE
Ensemble 360 was formed in 2005 to take up residency in South Yorkshire with Music in the Round, succeeding The Lindsays who retired as a quartet in July 2005. The ensemble brings together musicians from across the globe to form one versatile ensemble of eleven musicians; five wind players, a pianist, double bassist and the Elias String Quartet.
Their home performance space is the Crucible Studio in Sheffield - a 400 seat intimate venue with an extremely special atmosphere. Ensemble 360 believes in their concerts being informal, friendly and relaxed occasions and, although they perform in many traditional chamber music venues, they perform ‘in the round’ wherever possible. Having an audience on all four sides brings with it an intimacy and immediacy between musician and audience that other layouts cannot match. It is from this ‘in the round’ format that they take their name, Ensemble 360.
The enthusiasm, drive and musicality of each of the performers has proved a success with audiences across the UK as they find themselves drawn into the performances both through the communicative and engrossing nature of their playing and through the personalities of the musicians themselves. Ensemble 360 have grown to be a strong team and a group of friends who share a passion for their work; a passion which radiates through each performance.
Ensemble 360 is devoted to taking music into the community. They regularly host workshops in local schools, Young Performers’ Platforms and are involved in a GCSE composition programme, Powerplus. The ensemble are currently resident ensemble at the Universities of York and Sheffield running recital classes, masterclasses and performance workshops.
During 2006/7 they toured Snap! Snap! a musical for 2 to 7 year olds that was especially written for the group to sell out audiences across the UK. For Mozart’s 250th birthday they embarked on a 25 hour marathon of his music to raise money for the Lindsay Foundation, a fundraising vehicle to support the education and outreach work.
As the largest professional ensemble to be based in South Yorkshire, Ensemble 360 have also established concert series in Barnsley and Rotherham and, starting soon, in Doncaster. The ensemble plug an important gap in chamber music provision in South Yorkshire and are strong advocates for the region; one of their Barnsley concerts making Pick of the Week in The Times. They also bring other international artists to the region to perform in their annual 8-day May Festival in Sheffield.
Outside South Yorkshire, they perform at intimate and unusual venues across the UK with the national touring programme Around the Country, appear regularly on BBC Radio 3 and have a growing relationship with the Wigmore Hall. They have the pleasure of a close relationship with renowned harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock with whom they work regularly. They have also performed at the Leamington, Rotherham and Bradfield Festivals.
Ensemble 360 enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with partners on a variety of projects. Recent collaborations have included working with actor and director Samuel West on readings of Harold Pinter’s poetry and a performance of The Soldier’s Tale and a musical commentary on artwork on display at the Sheffield Millennium Galleries Art on the Rockface exhibition.
On top of the above, they even host their own very popular concert series in local Sheffield pub where they are paid in Moonshine, Abbeydale Brewery’s finest beer!
The Montpellier String Trio
Members of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Marcus Barcham-Stevens VIOLIN
Colin Twigg VIOLA
David Powell CELLO
The Montpellier String Trio was formed n 1995 by three members of the CBSO, and specialises in the classical repertoire for string trio. The name derives from the area in Cheltenham where their first concerts were given, since when they have performed in a wide variety of venues throughout the Midlands and Cotswolds region, from Birmingham to Gloucester and Hereford to Leamington. The Trio performs regularly in the Pump Room, Cheltenham and at CBSO Centre, Birmingham (as part of the CBSO Centre Stage series). Their concerts range from lecture recitals for the University of the Third Age, and community concerts in Shropshire to recitals at the Leamington Festival, the Bromsgrove Concerts series and now in the BCMS recitals.
MOZART, Prelude & Fugue in F K404a after J.S. Bach,
JEAN FRANÇAIX, String Trio in C (1933),
GERALD FINZI, Prelude & Fugue in A minor (1938),
Conservatoire Student Composition,
MOZART, Divertimento in Eb K563
The Schubert Ensemble
William Howard PIANO
Simon Blendis VIOLOIN
Jane Salmon CELLO
Douglas Paterson VIOLA
Peter Buckoke DOUBLE BASS
After 24 years at the forefront of British chamber music, the Schubert Ensemble is firmly established as one of the world's leading exponents of chamber music for piano and strings. Founded in 1983, the Ensemble has become a familiar fixture on stages across the world, from New York to Tokyo. Regularly giving over 60 concerts a year, the Ensemble has performed in over 40 different countries, as well as appearing frequently at Britain’s major Festivals and concert halls.
In the last year it has performed in major concert halls in Europe and North America, including Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Hall, Oslo's Konserthus and for the Coleman Chamber Series in California, given a four-concert Brahms Series for BBC Radio 3 at St. George's, Bristol, and started the second year of a three-year residency at Cardiff University.
The Ensemble has produced over twenty critically acclaimed CDs of works by Schubert, Schumann, Hummel, Dohnányi, Judith Weir, John Woolrich, Fauré, Korngold, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Louise Farrenc, César Franck and Elgar. It has appeared on TV and radio in many countries and is familiar to British audiences through regular broadcasts on BBC Radio 3.
Alongside its busy concert schedule, the Ensemble has established a reputation for innovation in the field of new music, education and audience development. It has also built up strong relationships with many of the UK’s leading composers, and has an impressive list of over 80 commissions. Its vision in combining education and new music initiatives led to the creation of the groundbreaking national project, Chamber Music 2000. For further information visit the website on