Ensemble 360 Octet

Formed originally in 2005 by Music in the Round as its Ensemble in Residence to continue the great legacy of the Lindsay Quartet, Ensemble 360 now performs all over the UK and abroad, boasting a glowing reputation for the outstanding quality of its performances, the breadth of its work and its commitment to reaching new audiences. It is a versatile, mixed group of eleven musicians comprising five string players, five winds and piano, equally at home in the classics of chamber music as in more diverse and eclectic programming.

Ensemble 360 has served as the resident ensemble at Music in the Round’s annual Sheffield Chamber Music Festival since 2006. Guest curators of the festival and collaborative partners have included Steven Isserlis, Helen Grime and Kathryn Stott. The 2025 edition of SCMF, curated by the players themselves to celebrate Ensemble 360’s 20th anniversary, reflected the group’s musical journey and evolution over that period.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Arnold Schoenberg, Ensemble 360 collaborated with soprano Claire Booth to perform and record their Pierrot Portraits programme. Concert performances included the Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival and Oxford International Song Festival, and the resulting disc (Onyx Classics) received critical acclaim across the press.

Recent highlights include returning to Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival, presenting the Schubertiade they curated for Martin Randall Travel, a residency in Tenerife at the Kirker Music Festival, and performances at Leamington Music Festival and Mananan Festival on the Isle of Man. In 2023 Ensemble 360’s significant contribution to the UK’s chamber music scene was acknowledged in a shortlisting for the Royal Philharmonic Society Ensemble Award.