Mature Times, Eileen Caiger Gray

There’s extra cause for celebration this year as Music in the Round’s annual May Festival of music gets underway in Sheffield, for 2025 marks the twentieth anniversary of MiR’s revered, award-winning chamber group, Ensemble 360. Fittingly, two works composed specially for the group were on the programme tonight, one by Huw Watkins, one by Aileen Sweeney, both in the audience, along with the big, beautiful Octet by Schubert…

…

Having all eleven musicians together is a rare treat and Huw Watkins’ Broken Consort gives scope to all. Composed for the group, the work had its world premiere in Sheffield in 2008… The passionate playing of the piece tonight certainly did it exciting justice.

…

“Ensemble 360’s achievements over the past two decades have been considerable as they continue to enrich lives… taking intensely passionate, top-quality music-making into recordings and Radio 3 programmes, into community learning and participation projects, and into phenomenal, in-the-round concert performances both for adults and children – and even for babies!”

… A magnificent children’s story repertoire has built up, too, with lively narrations of superbly illustrated books brought further to life by exciting, intricate music from resident composer Paul Rissman, which brings in extensive interaction with the children. Another long-term, frequent contributor to concerts, workshops and projects is nationally treasured baritone, Roddy Williams, no less.

“And what a huge void there would be without them all! Here’s to another twenty years – at least!”