Ensemble Renard carefully curate compelling and contrasting programmes tailored to each audience, aiming to take repertoire rarely given the light of day to audiences from London to the Hebrides and beyond.
Performance highlights of the ensemble’s career so far include repeat performances at the Aldeburgh Festival. In the 2025 Festival they took over the Red House for the day to present an immersive tour through Berio’s Sequenzas for woodwind instruments alongside a centenary celebration for both Berio and Boulez at the Jubilee Hall to critical acclaim. Ensemble Renard made their European debut at the Dinard Opening Festival in Brittany in 2022, have appeared on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune with Sean Rafferty, and have returned yearly to Llanfyllin Music Festival since 2022.
Ensemble Renard champions new music and regularly commissions works for wind quintet, having begun their career working with composers including Hans Abrahamsen and John Woolrich on performances of their repertoire. They were among the first artists to be awarded a grant from the Vaughan Williams Foundation in support of a new commission by Luke Lewis, and in 2023 they recorded their debut album of commissions by the Stomping Ground collective. With support from Britten Pears Arts, Ensemble Renard commissioned a wind quintet from Cheryl Frances-Hoad which received its world premiere at Aldeburgh in June 2025.
The Ensemble’s members are some of the most promising young classical musicians of the moment, who regularly perform with some of the world’s greatest orchestras; the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Australian World Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, to name but a few.
A typical Ensemble Renard season has something for everyone. They can be found performing at the UK’s most established music clubs, putting on family concerts with narrator, school-based workshops, and collaborating with organisations including Wigmore Hall and Spitalfields Music, in addition to performances at new music festivals in collaboration with a host of different composers.
About the musicians…
Ellie Blamires: Flute
Ellie enjoys a diverse freelance career, performing worldwide in orchestras, chamber ensembles, and as a soloist. She plays regularly with many of the country’s leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia. Ellie can often be found giving solo recitals at establishments including the Foundling Museum, Leicester Cathedral and Folkestone New Music, where she premiered Colin Matthews’ Five Untitled Pieces for Flute in 2023.
Chamber music is central to Ellie’s career: through her work with Ensemble Renard, she has facilitated several commissions, recordings and high profile performances, including a debut recital at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2023.
Ellie read Music at New College, Oxford, before completing a Master’s at the Royal Academy of Music, where her studies were generously supported by the Academy’s Harold Alcock Wrigley scholarship, Help Musicians UK and the Countess of Munster Trust. She received further orchestral training as a member of Southbank Sinfonia and as a Philharmonia MMSF Fellow.
Francesca Cox: Oboe
Francesca studied, with scholarship, at both the Royal Academy of Music, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Francesca has a diverse freelance career of chamber, orchestral and solo playing.
As a member of Ensemble Renard, Francesca is a current CMF artist, and was previously a Chamber Music Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music. Francesca is also a member Meliora Collective, who are a dectet that perform regularly all over the UK.
Francesca regularly plays with leading orchestras across the UK, including BBC Scottish Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia and the Philharmonia. Highlights include playing in the BBC Proms. Francesca is currently on trial with English National Ballet for principal oboe. She was an MMSF Fellow with the Philharmonia for 2024-25 and a Britten-Pears Young Artist in 2020-2023.
Patrick Bolton: Bassoon
Patrick is a versatile bassoonist who combines work with the UK’s top orchestras with a busy schedule of chamber music and solo engagements.
In demand as a guest principal bassoon, he has performed with the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Northern Sinfonia, English National Opera, and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra.
As a soloist, Patrick won second prize at The Arts Club – Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award 2020 in association with Classic FM, and was a finalist at the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition 2022. He made his solo debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 2023 with a performance of the Elgar Romance for Bassoon. His passion for contemporary music has brought him to work with Octandre Ensemble, Ensemble Musikfabrik, and the London Sinfonietta. Patrick was invited to perform at a memorial for the late Harrison Birtwistle at Plush Manor. In 2025, he gave performances of Luciano Berio’s Sequenza XII at the Aldeburgh Festival and at Folkestone New Music.
Patrick is a First-Class music graduate of Christ Church, Oxford, where he was the recipient of the Clifford Smith Prize for Music and an Ensemble ISIS New Music Scholarship. He then took up a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music and graduated in 2020 with a distinction and was awarded a DipRAM and a Regency Award. He has since held fellowships with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and participated in the London Sinfonietta Academy. In 2023 he returned to the Royal Academy of Music as a Chamber Music Fellow with Ensemble Renard.
George Strivens: Horn
French Horn player George Strivens enjoys a diverse career of solo, chamber, and orchestral performance. Recent solo engagements include Oxford Lieder Festival, Penarth Chamber Music Festival and Ludlow English Song Weekend.
George plays with leading orchestras across the United Kingdom including as guest principal horn with the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish, Bournemouth Symphony, and Scottish Chamber Orchestras. George also records music for film at Abbey Road and AIR Studios.
George is a keen advocate for new music. Solo horn works by Martin Bussey, Tom Harrold and Piers Hellawell have been written for, and premiered by George. He gave the world premiere of Julian Philips’ The Country of Larks alongside Robert Murray and, subsequently, with Stuart Jackson and Jocelyn Freeman. George appeared in the Aldeburgh Festival 2023 as a Britten-Pears Young Artist performing six world premieres and was also an academist at the Lucerne Festival and with the London Sinfonietta. He has worked closely with Hans Abrahamsen, Eleanor Alberga, and John Woolrich on their chamber music.
Alongside his performance career, George is a successful arranger whose chamber arrangement of Strauss’s Four Last Songs is published by Boosey & Hawkes.
James Gilbert: Clarinet
James is a London-based clarinettist and enjoys a varied international performing career. James majors in performing with orchestras across the UK and has regularly appeared as Guest Principal with ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Performing extensively in London with these and other orchestras, James has been fortunate to tour around the world to the USA, Europe and Japan.
As a recipient of the Musician’s Company Award and ‘Making Music’s’ Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist Award, James has been invited to perform solo recitals and concertos for some of the UK’s most established music clubs and amateur orchestras, taking him all over the country to such places as Dolgellau, Snowdonia all the way to Penzance, Cornwall.
James is a proponent of contemporary music performance and has enjoyed working alongside many of the foremost current and upcoming composers. Key highlights have been being selected for the highly acclaimed Aspen Contemporary Ensemble for AMFS 2019 and premiering a new solo work by Gareth Moorcraft for the 200 Pieces series commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music, London.
As a recent graduate of the Academy, James is very grateful to the ABRSM, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Help Musicians UK and the Worshipful Company for having generously supported his postgraduate studies with the ‘Home Postgraduate Scholarship’, ‘Derek Butler’, ‘Harrison’ and ‘Musician’s Company’ Awards respectively.
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