Ensemble 360
The tender lyricism of Brahms
Sunday, 19th October 2025 – 3.00pm
Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham
Ensemble 360: Photo – Matthew Johnson
New season starts in style!
Join us this October for an afternoon with the acclaimed Ensemble 360. Featuring the Corbridge Chamber Music Festival’s very own Robert Plane on clarinet, Ensemble 360 is a versatile and unique group of musicians with an outstanding reputation and a passion for reaching new audiences. Come and hear them play one of the masterpieces of the classical repertoire, Brahms’s glorious Clarinet Quintet.
Introducing Ensemble 360
Celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, Ensemble 360 are the group at the heart of the internationally renowned Sheffield Chamber Music Festival. They are 11 of the UK’s finest musicians – five string players, five wind players and a pianist. Five of its members play in Hexham this afternoon.
Praise and recognition for Ensemble 360:
Shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Ensemble Award in 2023
5-star review from BBC Music Magazine for their 2024 recording with soprano, Claire Booth, of music by Schoenberg
‘This is nothing short of a triumph’ – BBC Music Magazine
‘The supreme sophistication of these players’ – The Arts Desk
Programme
Ensemble 360 have devised an afternoon of inspiring contrasts for us. They start with Beethoven’s playful ‘Eyeglasses Duo’ for viola and cello before moving on to Shostakovich’s powerful 3rd string quartet, a piece written in 1946, in which the composer proved himself to be one of the greatest quartet writers of the 20th century.
The concert finishes with Brahms’s tender and lyrical clarinet quintet. Brahms came out of retirement to write this in 1891, dedicating it to the clarinettist whose playing so inspired him, Richard Mühlfeld.
Beethoven ‘Eyeglasses duo’ for viola and cello in E flat major, WoO 32
Shostakovich String Quartet no. 3 in F major, op. 73
Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115
Watch a recent performance
A taster promotional video for the ensemble –
Ensemble 360 play Dvořák’s Piano Quartet no. 2
Book your tickets for the Queen’s Hall
This first concert of the society’s season promises to be something special – the virtuosic musicianship of Ensemble 360 and the wide range of human emotions captured by three great composers.
No booking fees when you book direct with us.
Event details
Venue: Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Northumberland
Date: Sunday, 19th October 2025
Time: 3.00pm
Tickets: Online through the Hexham and District Music Society website. Also available from the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre (booking fee applies).
