"The Nash are chamber music royalty." The Sunday Times
Regarded as a standard-bearer of British music-making around the world, the Nash ensemble celebrated its 60th anniversary during the 2024/25 season with a range of programmes at London's Wigmore hall, where they have presented a themed season every year since 1979. They have toured widely in Europe and North America and are frequent guests at the UK’s most prestigious music festivals including Aldeburgh, Edinburgh and BBC Proms.
The Nash have recorded prolifically over many decades, showcasing their wide repertoire across the classical and romantic canons and up to the present day. Recent releases for Hyperion include string sextets by Tchaikovsky and Korngold, and Debussy chamber works. A recording of Ravel’s chamber music will be issued by Onyx later this year.
The group are well-known for their long and fruitful partnerships with many leading contemporary composers such as Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Helen Grime, Colin Matthews and Julian Anderson. Some 300 new works have been premiered since the Nash’s formation, of which over 200 have been specially commissioned.
The ensemble was founded and directed by Amelia Freedman until 2025. Her tremendous body of work was recognised with numerous awards including honorary membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2024. The group is now co-directed by two of its performing members, cellist Adrian Brendel and pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips.