Music in the Round brings world-class chamber music to Sheffield's Crucible Studio

Chamber music is meant to be heard up close, and in Sheffield it is. Since 1984, Music in the Round has been bringing international chamber music to the intimate Crucible Studio, where audiences sit around the players rather than in front of them.

The charity was founded by Peter Cropper, then leader of the Sheffield-based Lindsay String Quartet. The first Sheffield Chamber Music Festival ran from 20 May to 3 June 1984 at the Crucible Studio, performed by The Lindsays with guest musicians. Cropper led the organisation as artistic director until 2010, and in 2009 all four members of the quartet were granted the Honorary Freedom of the City of Sheffield.

When The Lindsays retired after their final festival in May 2005, Music in the Round formed Ensemble 360, an 11-piece group combining a string quintet, a wind quintet and piano. The ensemble has been resident ever since and is at the heart of every season.

Music in the Round describes itself as the UK's leading national producer of chamber music, and its reach extends well beyond the Crucible. Its touring series has taken concerts from Goole to Portsmouth, it has run a Barnsley series since 2006 and a Doncaster series at Cast since 2014, and Paul Rissmann's children's concerts have been enjoyed by more than 120,000 children.

Recognition has followed. The festival won the Royal Philharmonic Society's award for best concert series and events in 1994, and the society honoured Music in the Round again in 2013 with its Award for Chamber Music and Song. The 2024 festival marked 40 years of the organisation.

The autumn 2026 season sees Ensemble 360 joined by trumpeter Matilda Lloyd, baritone Roderick Williams, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov and the Brodsky Quartet with pianist Martin Roscoe. Highlights include Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel and a Charlie Chaplin: The Gold Rush event, and spring 2027 concerts are already booking.

For anyone who thinks classical music is not for them, a concert in the round is a friendly place to start.

Season details, tickets and the Friends scheme are on the Music in the Round website.