The Mill Ensemble and Friends – The Long Weekend

The group will be playing a selection of chamber pieces for combinations of piano, wind and strings featuring the world premiere of ‘A Medley of Manx Melodies,’ by Charles Guard MBE and works by well-known classical and more recent composers.

The Mill Ensemble was founded in 2000 as the Island’s only permanent chamber ensemble, initially devoted to performing music for woodwind octet by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and their contemporaries. It quickly developed into a flexible ensemble to include occasional guest string players and a repertoire that includes music from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The ensemble was the brainchild of Wendy Smith, a fine oboist, and at that time conductor of the Manx Sinfonia, the predecessor of the present-day Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra. The original members of the ensemble were all experienced woodwind instrument players in the orchestra, a tradition that continues to this day, with five of the original musicians still playing in the ensemble.

Programme will include:

Charles Guard – ‘Medley of Manx Melodies’ for wind quintet (World Premiere) Beethoven- Movements from the Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.  Haydn Wood ‘Introduction and Minuet’ for oboe and strings. Elgar- ‘Serenade for Strings.’