Ensemble 360 is a versatile and unique group of eleven musicians whose work is deeply embedded in the communities it serves. The name reflects the group’s passion for performing in the round, letting the audience surround the players and gain an unusually close relationship with live chamber music. Within its home city of Sheffield, the group is resident ensemble of Music in the Round and is proud to call the Sheffield Crucible Theatre’s (now known as the Crucible’s Playhouse) its home; an intimate space that challenges the conventions of classical music concerts by allowing the audience up close to the players. This is where the group cultivated its distinctively personal approach to music-making and performing.
Ensemble 360 is a mixed group comprising five string players, five winds and piano. Formed in 2005 by Music in the Round to continue the great legacy of the Lindsay Quartet, the group now boasts a glowing reputation throughout the UK and is known best for the outstanding quality of its performances, the breadth of its work and its passion for reaching new audiences. The group is regularly featured on BBC Radio 3 and 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.
“Ensemble 360… renowned for its virtuoso performances, bold programming and engaging interpretations…” The Guardian
Continuing the Lindsay Quartet’s ethos of delivering world-class performances to audiences that wouldn’t usually have access to live chamber music, Ensemble 360 brings its singular approach not only to the UK’s most prestigious concert halls, but to venues across the UK. They are highly committed to presenting chamber music to new audiences and, in partnership with Music in the Round, present a regular concert series in Barnsley, Doncaster, Milton Keynes, Goole and Portsmouth with a devotion to developing grass-roots audiences.
Community and education are at the heart of Ensemble 360’s work. The group is recognised not only for the excellence of its performances in major recital halls but also for its pioneering storybook musical events. Every year thousands of young children are introduced to classical music through Music in the Round’s innovative collaborations with local schools in Sheffield and further afield. As part of this commitment to community and education, Ensemble 360 also delivers a series of “Close-Up” family workshops with an educational and fun theme centred around the fundamentals of music-making.
The group has taken its proven formula of combining daytime family events with evening recital programmes to packed audiences in Leamington, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth and the Snape Proms.
Critically-acclaimed performances at Music in the Round’s annual Sheffield Chamber Music Festival (SCMF) provide a showcase for the quality of Ensemble 360. As the resident musicians for the Festival since 2006, the wide variety of programming in SCMF also highlights Ensemble 360’s versatility. They are equally at home in the classics of chamber music as in more diverse and eclectic programming, and the 2023 festival included exciting collaborations with artists such as bandoneon player JP Jofre and star trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth. Guest curators include composer Helen Grime (2022), pianist Kathryn Stott (2023) and cellist Steven Isserlis (2024) and in 2025 the Festival will be a celebration of Ensemble 360’s 20th anniversary.
Ensemble 360’s recording “Pierrot Portraits” with soprano Claire Booth, to mark the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schönberg’s birth, was released on Onyx Classics in September 2024.
