Ensemble 360 shortlisted for prestigious national music award.

The Ensemble 360 musicians, who are residents with Music in the Round and regularly appear in concerts in their Crucible Playhouse home, have been nominated in the Ensemble category of the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Awards 2023. 

Billed by BBC Radio 3 as the ‘BAFTAs of classical music’, the awards celebrate classical musicians nationwide, shining a light on brilliant individuals, groups and initiatives inspiring communities across the UK.  

Ensemble 360 were commended by the RPS for the outstanding quality and scope of their performances. They were praised for being “a national ensemble embedded in the Sheffield community and a thriving example of the transformative ways music can serve its local area. They equally channel their excellence and artistry into community partnerships and resounding concerts.” They sit alongside Manchester Collective and BBC Singers in the Ensemble category, which is supported by Wise Music Group in its 50th anniversary year.  

Members of Ensemble 360.

Nominees for RPS Awards this year also include English National Opera and Manchester Camerata, and notably four nominees come from Yorkshire (Sheffield’s Ensemble 360, Leeds Piano Trail, Bradford Festival Choral Society and Ryedale Festival). 

The winners will be announced at a public event at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on 1 March, with tickets available from only £10. Cello sensation Sheku Kanneh-Mason will give a special guest performance. 

Ensemble 360’s pianist Tim Horton said:  

“It is a great honour for Ensemble 360 to have been recognised in the Ensemble category of the RPS awards. It has been a privilege to have been resident at Music in the Round for seventeen years and to have had such loyal and friendly audiences for so long at the Crucible Playhouse in Sheffield and our homes in Barnsley and Doncaster. We inherited a wonderful ethos of inclusivity and exploration from the Lindsay String Quartet that continues to be borne out in the breadth of repertoire we present to more and more diverse audiences around the UK. We also take great pride in the work we do in communities across South Yorkshire, in particular with schools, which has included many specially-commissioned works that we have performed for thousands of children since 2005. We look forward to continuing our efforts to bring classical music to as many people as possible for many years to come.” 

Music in the Round’s Chief Executive Jo Towler said: 

"We are so pleased to see Ensemble 360 receiving this much-deserved national attention, which recognises their world-class performances on the concert platform alongside a willingness to share their music-making with people of all ages and abilities. Sheffield should be proud of being the home of this group of amazing musicians so we can regularly enjoy their fantastic and engaging concerts."

Ensemble 360’s next concerts with Music in the Round take place in South Yorkshire this weekend (in Barnsley on Friday 27 January and in Sheffield on Saturday 28 January), with further performances in Sheffield on Friday 10 February, Friday 17 March and Saturday 1 April. They also play a central role in the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival each year in the Crucible Playhouse. This year’s Festival runs from 12 – 20 May 2023 with appearances from Ensemble 360 alongside guest Festival Curator pianist Kathryn Stott, and stars of the international classical music world including trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and saxophonist Amy Dickson.  

Tickets are available from £5 - £21 and are on sale now at musicintheround.co.uk or from the Sheffield Theatres box office on 0114 2496000.