Emerald Ensemble
Encyclopedia
The Bristol Ensemble, formerly the Emerald Ensemble, is a professional chamber orchestra
, based in Bristol
, England
. The ensemble has been in existence since 1994, when it was formed as a musician's collective by violin
ist Roger Huckle. Their repertoire includes classical, popular, jazz and contemporary music
. The size of the group depends on the programmes being performed and can range from trios to a full complement of 25 or so musicians. They perform standing up: "This freedom of movement and communication between the musicians while performing enables even the large ensemble to maintain the vibrancy and enthusiasm of chamber music
..."
The Bristol Ensemble tours regularly throughout the South West of England
and further afield, with a large number of performances in Bristol at venues including the Colston Hall
, St Georges, Brandon Hill
and Bristol Cathedral
. In 2007 they accompanied musical prodigy Derek Paravicini
on a British tour. They have performed premières of works by Martin Kiszko
Edward Williams and Ian Venables
, amongst others.
The ensemble regularly accompanies screenings of silent movies
. In 2008, as the Emerald Ensemble, they performed at a local nightclub to some acclaim, and in autumn 2009 they performed with William Goodchild
and Roni Size
, and also with Crippled Black Phoenix
under the curation of Geoff Barrow
. The Bristol Ensemble also undertakes outreach work with schools, colleges and older people. They regularly record for television and film, including much work for the BBC Natural History Unit
and they have produced several CDs
of their work.
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, based in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The ensemble has been in existence since 1994, when it was formed as a musician's collective by violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Roger Huckle. Their repertoire includes classical, popular, jazz and contemporary music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
. The size of the group depends on the programmes being performed and can range from trios to a full complement of 25 or so musicians. They perform standing up: "This freedom of movement and communication between the musicians while performing enables even the large ensemble to maintain the vibrancy and enthusiasm of chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
..."
The Bristol Ensemble tours regularly throughout the South West of England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
and further afield, with a large number of performances in Bristol at venues including the Colston Hall
Colston Hall
The Colston Hall is a concert hall and grade II listed building situated on Colston Street, Bristol, England. A popular venue catering for a variety of different entertainers, it seats approximately 2,075 and provides licensed bars, a café and restaurant....
, St Georges, Brandon Hill
St George's Church, Brandon Hill
St George's is a church in the Clifton area of Bristol, England.It was built between 1821 and 1823 by Sir Robert Smirke in a Greek Revival style...
and Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
. In 2007 they accompanied musical prodigy Derek Paravicini
Derek Paravicini
Derek Paravicini is a blind English autistic savant and a musical prodigy. He lives in Surrey.-Biography:Paravicini was born extremely prematurely, at 25 weeks . His blindness was caused by oxygen therapy given during his time in a neonatal intensive care unit...
on a British tour. They have performed premières of works by Martin Kiszko
Martin Kiszko
Martin Edmund Kiszko is a British composer, musicologist and librettist. He is best known for his film and television scores.-Biography:Kiszko's family hails from Belarus and from Leeds, England...
Edward Williams and Ian Venables
Ian Venables
Ian Venables is a British composer of songs and chamber music.-Biography:Ian Venables was born in Liverpool in 1955 and was educated at Liverpool Collegiate Grammar School. He studied music with Professor Richard Arnell at Trinity College of Music, London and later with Andrew Downes, John Mayer...
, amongst others.
The ensemble regularly accompanies screenings of silent movies
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
. In 2008, as the Emerald Ensemble, they performed at a local nightclub to some acclaim, and in autumn 2009 they performed with William Goodchild
William Goodchild
William Goodchild is a composer, orchestrator and conductor who produces music for film, television and the concert hall.-Biography:...
and Roni Size
Roni Size
Roni Size is a British record producer and DJ, who came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and leader of Reprazent, a drum and bass collective...
, and also with Crippled Black Phoenix
Crippled Black Phoenix
Crippled Black Phoenix is a post-rock supergroup from the United Kingdom. Several musicians have contributed to Crippled Black Phoenix's albums and play with them during their live shows.-History:...
under the curation of Geoff Barrow
Geoff Barrow
Geoffrey Paul Barrow is the producer, disc jockey, and instrumentalist for Portishead.Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol where Barrow grew up...
. The Bristol Ensemble also undertakes outreach work with schools, colleges and older people. They regularly record for television and film, including much work for the BBC Natural History Unit
BBC Natural History Unit
The BBC Natural History Unit is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries...
and they have produced several CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
of their work.