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. The ensemble’s name reflects the group’s advocacy for performing in the round, letting the audience surround the players and develop an unusually close relationship with live chamber music.
Ensemble 360… renowned for its virtuoso performances, bold programming and engaging interpretations…The Guardian
Ensemble 360 has served as the resident ensemble at Music in the Round’s annual Sheffield Chamber Music Festival (SCMF) since 2006. Their critically-acclaimed performances at the Festival demonstrate their versatility, with programming ranging from canonical chamber music to world premieres, and artistic collaborations that have included projects with bandoneon player JP Jofre, trumpet player Tine Thing Helseth and sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun, amongst others. 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. Ensemble 360 also presents a regular concert series in partnership with Music in the Round. Four BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts, presented by Sarah Walker, were drawn from live recordings of their concerts in the 2022 autumn series.
Alongside their work with Music in the Round, Ensemble 360 has a busy recording and performing schedule which takes them across the UK and abroad. To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of one of Western music’s most innovative and influential composers, Arnold Schoenberg, Ensemble 360 collaborated with the composer’s renowned interpreter, soprano Claire Booth, to perform and record their “Pierrot Portraits” programme, a thought provoking exploration of the Pierrot character in depictions by a range of composers. Concert performances included the Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival and Oxford International Song Festival, and the resulting disc (Onyx Classics) was declared as “Nothing short of a triumph” in BBC Music Magazine’s Five Star review. The CD was subsequently selected as the magazine’s Choral & Song “choice” in the December 2024 issue, and Ensemble 360’s “brilliant instrumental quintet” was praised by Geoff Brown in The Times.
“…the supreme sophistication of these players shed extra lights throughout…” The Arts Desk
This season, Ensemble 360 returned to Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival, and looks forward to presenting the Schubertiade they have curated for Martin Randall Travel in 2026. Spread across five concerts, and introduced by musicologist Richard Wigmore, the weekend will see performances of many of the key iconic chamber music works by the composer, as well as impromptus and German dances for solo piano, and songs in collaboration with soprano Elizabeth Watts.
Other recent festival highlights have included Leamington Music Festival with their regular collaborative partner, tenor James Gilchrist, Mananan Festival on the Isle of Man, and a residency in Tenerife at the Kirker Music Festival.
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.