Hebrides Ensemble

Will Conway recalled being "star-struck" when Abrahamsen agreed to come to Scotland: "It was amazing to see young composers engage with his music and grow through the process."

👉 Did you attend this performance, or have a favourite Abrahamsen piece? Let us know!

It was inspiring to see young composers develop their skills through hands-on experience with a professional ensemble ❤️

#Throwback #HansAbrahamsen #HebridesEnsemble #SupportingComposers #ScottishMusic

✨ Throwback to an unforgettable moment in 2010! ✨

We’re reflecting on the incredible experience of working with Hans Abrahamsen - one of the greatest Danish composers - at Aberdeen Music Hall.

✨ Check out the eight key findings that could help shape a greener future for classical music: tinyurl.com/2f9ay86f

#Sustainability #GreenTouring #ClassicalMusic #ScottishMusic #EcoFriendly

🌍 The classical music world is making moves towards sustainability! 🌱

We know international touring is a key part of what we do, but it also has a big carbon footprint. So the Scottish Classical Sustainability Group asked over 100 musicians how we can change the way we tour to be more eco-friendly.

Were you there in 2007? What are your standout HCMF memories? Let us know in the comments! 👇 #Throwback #HCMF #NewMusic #ContemporaryMusic

It was a special festival for our Operations Manager, Emma, too - her second HCMF and her first working behind the scenes as an usher while studying at University of Huddersfield!

...home of so many important first performances in Britain since 1978 and host to major international figures of experimental and avant-garde music.”

That year, our programme featured an electrifying mix, including Xenakis' Rebonds, Carter’s 4 Lauds, and music by Cresswell, Saunders & Osborne.

🎶 Throwback to 2007 at @hcmfuk.bsky.social! 🎶

Huddersfield has long been a vital hub for new music, and as our Artistic Director William Conway put it: “No group performing new music would feel content unless they had appeared at this daring festival...

Cresswell: Anake & Other Works Lyell Cresswell · Compilation · 2012 · 32 songs

You can listen to it here: 🎧 Spotify

Do you remember this performance? Let us know your memories! 💬

#HebridesEnsemble #FromTheArchive #LyellCresswell #GoodAngelBadAngel #ChamberOpera

This gripping work by Lyell Cresswell, a composer with a close connection to Hebrides Ensemble, remains a highlight of our history.

We also had the privilege of recording a full disc of Lyell’s chamber music for NMC, a testament to his unique and powerful voice.

🎭 From the Archive: Good Angel Bad Angel (2005) 🎶

Our first chamber opera - an intense, claustrophobic tale by Robert Louis Stevenson - was brought to life by the incredible Allison Cook, Richard Burkhard, and Martin Robson.

📻 Looking back, we’re still in awe of Elliott Carter’s intricate, brilliant music and the thrill of that performance.

#HebridesEnsemble #EIF #ElliottCarter #ChamberMusic #BBCRadio3 #NewMusic

YouTube video by Hebrides Ensemble Inner Hebrides - Zoë Beyers

You can catch the incredible Zoë Beyers performing Carter's Mnemosyne as part of our Inner Hebrides series on YouTube: either skip to the 18 minute mark, or enjoy the whole programme!

The success of this concert opened the door to a long and continuing run of prestigious invitations to the Edinburgh International Festival - a defining moment in our journey.

🎶 Summer 2005 was a milestone moment for Hebrides Ensemble! 🎶

This all-Carter programme, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, was one of the most challenging we had ever performed.

YouTube video by Hebrides Ensemble William Conway performs David Fennessy 'Five Hofer Photographs'

You can hear more of his stunning work in our performance of "Five Hofer Photographs" watch now: 🎥on YouTube:

#HebridesEnsemble #MusicTheatre #DavidFennessy #ChamberMusic #NewMusic #Throwback

Since then, we’ve had the privilege of a long and inspiring association with him, both as a composer and as a past Board member of Hebrides.

🎭✨ Throwback to one of our first forays into music theatre!

Back in 2003, we commissioned "Room" by the extraordinary David Fennessy—an artist who never delivers the expected but always something original and even better.

Sensations of Travel

You can enjoy Balkan Dances and Laments as part of our Sensations of Travel album, available on Spotify 🎶 open.spotify.com/album/7e6OZA...

#HebridesEnsemble #NewMusicScotland #NigelOsborne #35Anniversary

The commission formed part of our performance at the then Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland @rcsofficial.bsky.social) whom we continue our fruitful relationship year on year. In 2019 we released a recording of his chamber music on Delphian Records.

Balkan Dances and Laments (commissioned in 2001 by Hebrides Ensemble) saw the beginning of a long, fruitful relationship with the unique composer and humanitarian worker Nigel Osborne.

Hebrides Ensemble is thrilled to announce the continued support of Creative Scotland through its Multi-Year Funding Programme’s Development Stream. This recognition not only celebrates the quality of our artistic work, but also affirms the values and vision that Hebrides Ensemble strives to embody. As we mark our 35th anniversary, we are excited to journey into our 2025/26 Season supported by the Multi-Year Funding Programme. We would also like to extend our warmest congratulations to all our partners and colleagues whose work has been celebrated in today’s funding announcements. It’s inspiring to see so many organisations expanding their reach across Scotland, and we look forward to the lasting impact of this support.

An update from all of us at Hebrides following this morning's Multi-Year Funding announcements from @creativescots.bsky.social

You can listen to Eclogue here on Spotify 🎧 together with our full album of Songs of Courtship, released in 2014 on Linn Records

🔥 It continues to this day. Keep following us for more key milestones during our 35th anniversary.

#newmusicscotland #hebridesensemble #35anniversary #johnbevanbaker

Our first commission in 1994 was with the composer John Bevan Baker. Eclogue was a beautiful and enigmatic work, which saw the beginning of a long line of commissions, beginning Hebrides Ensemble's commitment to enabling and performing new music.

Stay tuned for more from our extensive archive as well as details of our future music making.

We are now 35 years on and still standing! As we mark our anniversary, we celebrate 35 years of glorious music making with over 100 commissions and collaborations with instrumentalists, singers, composers, dancers, actors and directors.

Will continues, "Personally speaking, this was my first performance of Messiaen’s great Quartet for the End of Time and I can still recall the excitement of reading about, learning and performing this piece with some very special musicians." #quartetfortheendoftime

"What I remember from the first rehearsals for our debut concert was the excitement of the new-new group, new aspirations, new music, new programming. Our hope was to present music of our time and integrate it with the best of music from the past.”