Ensemble Renard

London-based wind quintet Ensemble Renard comprises five of the UK’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.

Ensemble Renard carefully curate compelling and contrasting programmes tailored to each audience, aiming to take repertoire rarely given the light of day to audiences from London to the Hebrides and beyond. From Gershwin to Knussen, each piece they play demonstrates the kaleidoscopic versatility of the ensemble, and most Ensemble Renard concerts feature works especially written or arranged for them.

Ensemble Renard 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 repeat performances at the Aldeburgh Festival. In the 2025 issue they took over the Red House for the day to present an immersive tour through Berio’s Sequenzas for woodwind instruments alongside a centenary celebration for both Berio and Boulez at the Jubilee Hall to critical acclaim. They made their European debut at the Dinard Opening Festival in Brittany in 2022, have appeared on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ with Sean Rafferty, and have returned yearly to Llanfyllin Music Festival since 2022.

Ensemble Renard champion 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. With support from Britten Pears Arts, Ensemble Renard commissioned a wind quintet from Cheryl Frances-Hoad which received its world premier in Aldeburgh in June 2025. 

The Ensemble’s members are some of the most promising young classical musicians of the moment, who regularly perform with some of the world’s greatest orchestras; the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House,  Australian World Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, to name but a few.

A typical Ensemble Renard season has something for everyone. They can be found performing at the UK’s most established music clubs, putting on family concerts with narrator, school-based workshops, and collaborating with organisations including Wigmore Hall and Spitalfields Music, in addition to performances at new music festivals in collaboration with a host of different composers.

Ellie Blamires - Flute

Francesca Cox - Oboe

George Strivens - French Horn

Patrick Bolton - Bassoon

James Gilbert - Clarinet