Florian Ensemble

I’ve been part of the Florian Ensemble since 2012, and these relationships are some of the most important in my musical life. Having started as a string quartet, we later expanded to become a flexible piano quartet/quintet.

The group does lots of different things beyond concerts, including extensive education work, lecture recitals exploring music’s relationship to science and history, and a series of house concerts in London nurturing new audiences.

Our most recent venture is a brand new programme of live music based in Coulsdon, south of London. You can visit our website to find out more about all these projects and get tickets to upcoming concerts.

In 2019 the group received repeat funding from Arts Council England to continue its ambitious ‘Creating Musical Stories’ project, based in primary schools in East Cornwall. We also run courses for amateur chamber musicians.

The Florian Ensemble was formed at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2012, and its principal mentors were James Boyd and Catherine Manson of the London Haydn Quartet. The Florians have always drawn on a broad range of musical influences, and learning from each other is one of the joys of ensemble playing. Although grounded in classical discipline, our approach has become increasingly suffused with alternative styles, especially folk music and improvisation.