Photo: Matthew Johnson

Orsino Ensemble

Adam Walker, flute
Nicholas Daniel, oboe
Matthew Hunt, clarinet
Amy Harman, bassoon
Alec Frank-Gemmill, French Horn

The Orsino Ensemble is a flexible format chamber ensemble with a central focus on the five outstanding wind players at its core: Adam Walker, Nicholas Daniel, Amy Harman, Alec Frank-Gemmill and Matthew Hunt. Each a leader in their field, they are committed to showcasing the depth and versatility of the wind chamber repertoire; expanding and reducing the ensemble’s format as needed across their different programmes.

The ensemble was founded in 2018 by Adam Walker with inaugural performances at the Aldeburgh Festival. Recent highlights have included performances at Wigmore Hall and Sibelius Hall, and appearances at West Cork Chamber Music, Chipping Campden, Two Moors and Ryedale Festivals, as well as a weekend residency at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. The ensemble has collaborated with artists including Pavel Kolesnikov, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Katya Apekisheva.

The Orsino Ensemble’s first recording, featuring French repertoire for Winds and Piano, was released for Chandos in 2021 to critical acclaim across the board, with The Guardian praising the recording as ‘a disc that beguiles and dazzles in every bar’. This was followed in 2023 by ‘Echoes of Bohemia’; a disc exploring the strong tradition of Czech wind playing through works by Reicha, Janácek, Pavel Haas and Martinů.

Programme

Mon
20.7.
35. Kuhmo Arts Centre 15.00

Cecilia Damström (1988):

Wind Quintet 'Raakku' (2026, commissioned by Kuhmo Chamber Music, premiere)

Mon
20.7.
35. Kuhmo Arts Centre 15.00

Jean Françaix (1912—1997):

L'Heure du Berger for wind quintet and piano (1947)

Tue
21.7.
41. Kuhmo Church 21.00

Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904):

Serenade in D minor, Op. 44 (1878, arr. for wind quintet and strings by František Hertl)

Wed
22.7.
45. Kuhmo Arts Centre 18.00

Antonín Reicha (1770—1836):

Lento. Allegro moderato from Wind Quintet in E flat, Op. 88 No. 2 (1818)

Thu
23.7.
49. Tuupala Primary School 15.00

Valerie Coleman (1970):

Danza from Concerto Afro-Cuban for wind quintet (2001)

Thu
23.7.
50. Kuhmo Arts Centre 18.00

Mark Simpson (1988):

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows for wind quintet (2024)

Thu
23.7.
51. Kuhmo Arts Centre 21.00

Pavel Haas (1899—1944):

Wind Quintet, Op. 10 (1929)

Matthew Hunt

Wed
22.7.
43. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875—1912):

Nonet in F minor, Op. 2 (1894)

Wed
22.7.
44. Tuupala Primary School 15.00

Franz Berwald (1796—1868):

Quartet in E flat, Op. 1 for piano and winds (1819)

Thu
23.7.
50. Kuhmo Arts Centre 18.00

Thomas Adès (1971):

Clarinet Quintet 'Alchymia' (2021)

Fri
24.7.
52. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Witold Lutosławski (1913—1994):

Dance Preludes for clarinet and piano (1954)

Sat
25.7.
59. Tuupala Primary School 15.00

Mikhail Glinka (1804—1857):

Trio pathétique in D minor for clarinet, bassoon and piano (1832)

Nicholas Daniel

Wed
22.7.
43. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875—1912):

Nonet in F minor, Op. 2 (1894)

Thu
23.7.
50. Kuhmo Arts Centre 18.00

Ethel Smyth (1858—1944):

Variations on Bonny Sweet Robin for flute, oboe and piano 'Ophelia's Song' (1927)

Fri
24.7.
52. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Arthur Bliss (1891—1975):

Connelly's Jig from Oboe Quintet, F. 21 (1927)

Sat
25.7.
58. Kuhmo Arts Centre 11.00

Francis Poulenc (1899—1963):

Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1928 edited by Sandro Caldini)

Adam Walker

Mon
20.7.
34. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683—1764):

Suite from the Opera Les Indes galantes

Wed
22.7.
43. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Olivier Messiaen (1908—1992):

Le merle noir (Eurasian Blackbird - Turdus merula) for flute and piano (1951)

Thu
23.7.
50. Kuhmo Arts Centre 18.00

Ethel Smyth (1858—1944):

Variations on Bonny Sweet Robin for flute, oboe and piano 'Ophelia's Song' (1927)

Fri
24.7.
52. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Erwín Schulhoff (1894—1942):

Allergo furioso from Concertino for flute, viola and double bass (1925)

Fri
24.7.
56. Sotkamo Church 18.00

Amy Beach (1867—1944):

Theme and Variations, Op. 80 for flute and string quartet (1916)

Amy Harman

Wed
22.7.
43. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875—1912):

Nonet in F minor, Op. 2 (1894)

Wed
22.7.
44. Tuupala Primary School 15.00

Franz Berwald (1796—1868):

Quartet in E flat, Op. 1 for piano and winds (1819)

Thu
23.7.
51. Kuhmo Arts Centre 21.00

Roxanna Panufnik (1968):

Cantator & Amanda for bassoon and string quartet (2011)

Sat
25.7.
58. Kuhmo Arts Centre 11.00

Francis Poulenc (1899—1963):

Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1928 edited by Sandro Caldini)

Sat
25.7.
59. Tuupala Primary School 15.00

Mikhail Glinka (1804—1857):

Trio pathétique in D minor for clarinet, bassoon and piano (1832)

Alec Frank-Gemmill

Wed
22.7.
43. Kuhmo Church 11.00

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875—1912):

Nonet in F minor, Op. 2 (1894)

Wed
22.7.
44. Tuupala Primary School 15.00

Franz Berwald (1796—1868):

Quartet in E flat, Op. 1 for piano and winds (1819)