Maxine Willis flute
Gwenllian Davies oboe
Andrew Mason clarinet
Richard Bayliss horn
Stuart Russell bassoon
Programme
| Zemlinsky | Humoreske |
| Danzi | Quintet in B flat, Op.56/1 |
| Nielsen | Quintet |
| Interval | |
| Arnold | Divertimento for flute, oboe and clarinet |
| Klughardt | Quintet |
| Walton (arr. Mason) | Suite from Façade |
About Aurora
Established in 1996, the Aurora Ensemble is a traditional wind quintet which also expands to work with piano, strings or to explore the repertoire for wind octet. Each of its players work regularly with some of the country’s leading orchestras and chamber ensembles.
Prizewinners at the European chamber music competition, Musique d’Ensemble held at the Paris Conservatoire in 2001, the ensemble has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and performed in many major venues including the Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall (for the Park Lane Group), Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall and Cardiff’s St. David’s Hall. Each season it performs for numerous music clubs and festivals.
In 2002 the ensemble recorded its debut CD which included the first CD recording of Marin Goleminov’s Wind Quintet No.2 and the world premiere recording of Ronan Guilfoyle’s Groove Merchants. With funding from the Arts Council of Ireland, the Auroras commissioned a new work from Ronan (Under One Roof) which they premiered at the Warwick Festival in June 2004. Their second CD Humoreske was released in 2006 which featured works by Zemlinsky, Mozart, Grainger and Malcolm Arnold. Also included was music by television and film composer Jim Parker – as a result, Jim wrote a new piece for the Auroras entitled Boulevard which they premiered in November 2006. Konzertstücke is their third CD and for this recording the Auroras were joined by their long time collaborator, pianist Joanna Smith. The Auroras were delighted to include Roderick Elms’ sextet Moody Moves (which was written especially for them)alongside repertoire by Mozart and Mendelssohn which regularly features in their recitals for piano and winds.
For more details, please visit www.auroraensemble.com
The musicians
Maxine Willis flute
A wind finalist in the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year competition, Maxine read English at Brasenose College Oxford, followed by two years of postgraduate study at the Royal College of Music having received an award from the Countess of Munster Musical trust. She has given recitals at St James Piccadilly, Union Chapel Islington, and the October Gallery WC1, and performed concertos both in England and France. Maxine plays with Welsh National Opera and Kokoro and has appeared with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic.
Gwenllian Davies oboe
Gwenllian comes from Pembrokeshire and read music at Jesus College, Oxford. She continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama after receiving awards from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Myra Hess Trust and the Arts Council of Wales. She is a busy freelance oboist and plays with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bournemouth Symphony and RTE Concert Orchestra. She has also worked with the Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban and Teatro Marrucino Opera in Italy.
Andrew Mason clarinet
Andrew studied at the Royal College of Music as a Foundation Scholar winning the Frederick Thurston Clarinet Prize and the Roger Fallows Memorial Prize. He has performed on Radio Three for the BBC Proms Composer Portrait series and in 2002 made his Purcell Room debut for the Park Lane Group’s New Year series for which The Times praised his “subtle virtuosity… mercurial responses and reactions”. In March 2003 he made his debut at the Wigmore Hall. Andrew has played for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra amongst others. In 2013 he was appointed 2nd clarinet of Opera North.
Richard Bayliss horn
Richard enjoys a varied musical career, encompassing historical performance, orchestral music, chamber music & musical theatre. His studies at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) led to solo appearances with the RAM String Orchestra in Haydn’s Concerto for two horns and Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings. Richard performs regularly with many of the UK’s Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, and he has a passion for early music, working with Gabrieli Consort, Academy of Ancient Music & English Baroque Soloists among others. As well as being a founder member of the Galliard Ensemble, Richard’s interest in Chamber Music has led to performances of the Mozart Quintet for horn & strings, and recordings with the Wallace Collection & the Golden Section brass ensembles.
Stuart Russell bassoon
Stuart Russell graduated in 2003 from the Royal Academy of Music gaining first class honours and the Nicolas Blake Wind Ensemble Prize. After post-graduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama he spent a year as co-principal bassoon with South Bank Sinfonia, performing with them the John Williams bassoon concerto. Stuart plays with many of the UK’s leading symphony, opera and ballet orchestras, and is a member of Liquid Architecture (a mixed chamber ensemble) and of the Canteloube Wind Trio. Stuart is also professor of bassoon reed making at the Guildhall School and Trinity College of Music.