Knussen                       Alleluya Nativitas

Milhaud                        La cheminee du roi Rene

Mozart (arr. Meyer)   Andante fur eine Walze in eine kleine Orgel, K. 616

Barber                           Summer Music, Op. 31

Leonarda (arr. King)  Sonata Nona from Op. 16

Shifrin                           La Nouvelle Orleans

Audience Vote            A solo work by any instrument

Taffanel                        Wind Quintet in G minor

This programme immerses the audience in a journey that explores the wind quintet genre across several geographical regions and historical periods, beginning in medieval France with Oliver Knussen’s rendition of Perotin’s Alleluya Nativitas, before crossing the Atlantic for Argentinian-American composer Lalo Shifrin’s La Nouvelle Orleans. Works by composers including Mozart, Barber and Taffanel provide an insight into the evolution of the modern day wind quintet canon, which Ensemble Renard have taken great pride in adding to over the last three years. Indeed, closing the first half is a piece written by 17th-century Nun Isabella Leonarda and arranged by Geoffrey King especially for the group’s debut album, In the Room.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Ellie Blamires – flute
Francesca Cox – oboe
Patrick Bolton – bassoon
George Strivens – french horn
James Gilbert - clarinet

Ensemble Renard comprises five of the country’s most outstanding young musicians. Together, they exist to explore a wide range of timbral possibilities within modern day chamber performance. Centrally a wind quintet, Ensemble Renard’s frequent collaboration with composers and guest instrumentalists allows them to showcase a prismatic variety of colours.

They have quickly emerged onto the scene as one of the UK’s most promising young chamber ensembles. To date, they have been made Tunnell Trust awardees, Britten-Pears Young Artists, Stoller Hall Young Artists, and awardees of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust’s Recital Scheme. Performance highlights of the ensemble’s career so far include their European debut at the Dinard Opening Festival in Brittany, a recital at the Aldeburgh Festival, and an appearance on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ with Sean Rafferty.

The ensemble champions new music and regularly commission works for wind quintet, having begun their career working with composers including Hans Abrahamsen and John Woolrich on performances of their repertoire. They were among the first artists to be awarded a grant from the Vaughan Williams Foundation in support of a new commission by Luke Lewis, and in 2023 they recorded their debut album of commissions by the Stomping Ground collective.

Members of Ensemble Renard are some of the most promising young classical musicians of the moment, who regularly perform with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Manchester Camerata, English Touring Opera, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, and the English National Opera, to name but a few.

The 2023/24 season saw Ensemble Renard continue to take their work across the UK, with performances at Snape Maltings as Britten-Pears Young Artists for the second year running; recitals at venues including St John’s Smith Square and the Stoller Hall, and a return for the third year running to the Llanfyllin Music Festival in Wales.