Full Biography

Established in 1996, the Aurora Ensemble is a traditional wind quintet which also expands to work with piano, or to explore the repertoire for wind octet. All of its players are successful freelance musicians, working regularly with some of the country's leading orchestras and chamber ensembles.

Prizewinners at the European chamber music competition Musique d'Ensemble held at the Paris Conservatoire in 2001, the Aurora Ensemble has performed in many major venues and festivals including the Purcell Room & Wigmore Hall (for the Park Lane Group), Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, Cardiff's St. David's Hall and the Warwick, Thaxted, Ryedale and Petworth Festivals. It has broadcast on ORS Television (Austria) & BBC Radio 3 for the Young Artists' Forum and was selected as one of the featured ensembles in Making Music's Concert Promoters' Network brochure for the 2005-2006 season.

In 2002 the ensemble recorded its debut CD, which included the first CD recording of Marin Goleminov's Wind Quintet No.2 and the world première recording of Ronan Guilfoyle's Groove Merchants. With funding from the Arts Council of Ireland, the Auroras commissioned a new work from Ronan, which they premiered at the Warwick Festival in June 2004. Their second CD, Humoreske, was released in 2006, featuring works by Zemlinsky, Mozart, Malcolm Arnold and Grainger. Also included was music by television and film composer Jim Parker, and as a result Jim wrote a new piece for the Auroras entitled Boulevard, which they premièred in November 2006.

Sounds Exciting (Patron Neil Black OBE) is the ensemble's own education project, which runs in conjunction with their recital work. Former projects include a children's concert with narration from ex-Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis, and the commissioning of artwork from the illustrator Caroline Glicksman to use in their children's concerts. The ensemble directs its own course at Hawkwood College, Gloucestershire every Easter, and has also had extensive experience at performing in hospitals, schools & centres for people with disabilities and residential homes for the elderly, through the late Yehudi Menuhin's Live Music Now! scheme.

Maxine Willis flute
A wind finalist in the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year competition, Maxine read English at Brasenose College Oxford, followed by two years of postgraduate study at the Royal College of Music having received an award from the Countess of Munster Musical trust. She has given recitals at St James Piccadilly, Union Chapel Islington, and the October Gallery WC1, and performed concertos both in England and France. Maxine plays with Welsh National Opera and Kokoro (contemporary ensemble of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra) and has appeared with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic. Maxine is the ensemble's resident sci-fi geek.

Gwenllian Davies oboe
Gwenllian comes from Pembrokeshire and now lives in Chertsey, Surrey. She is a busy freelance oboist, playing with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Wales, Opera Theatre Company Ireland and several West End Shows including Mary Poppins and Wicked. In her free time she enjoys reading Ian Rankin, supporting Swansea City FC, tuning in to The Archers and ear drum shattering loud rock music.

Andrew Mason clarinet
Andrew studied at the Royal College of Music as a Foundation Scholar with Colin Bradbury, Janet Hilton, Robert Hill and Michael Harris, winning the Frederick Thurston Clarinet Prize and the Roger Fallows Memorial Prize. He has performed on Radio Three for the BBC Proms Composer Portrait series and in 2002 made his Purcell Room debut for the Park Lane Group’s New Year series. In March 2003 he made his debut at the Wigmore Hall. Andrew has played for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the London Chamber Orchestra. Whilst driving home from a performance, Andrew is most likely to be singing loudly to rather cheap 80’s pop music.

Helen Shillito horn
Helen studied at the Royal College of Music with Julian Baker, Tim Brown and natural horn with Sue Dent winning the Arthur Somervell prize and Manns prize. She also spent a semester at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, studying with Adam Friedrich. As a chamber musician Helen enjoys playing with a variety of groups including Alla Caccia (Hn,Vn,Pno), Vent (period wind octet) and Fourier Ensemble (romantic wind quintet). Helen is currently 2nd Horn with the Scottish Ballet Orchestra and has played with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia and Northern Sinfonia. She especially enjoys playing natural and baroque horns with the Gabrieli Consort, English Concert and the London Handel Orchestras. In her free time Helen likes gardening or walking the Kent coast-line.

Constance Tanner bassoon
Connie has had the pleasure of working with the Auroras since 2002. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music and has worked hard to gain a balanced freelance career, combining orchestral, opera, chamber music, contemporary music and education work. At the end of 2006 she bought her dream instrument, a pre-war Heckel, fulfilling a lifetime’s ambition. Connie has appeared with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Grange Park Opera and Walker Dance Park Music (resident at the Royal Opera House) to name a few. She regularly travels to her favourite country, India to coach and perform with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra of India. When not playing the bassoon, Connie can be found knitting quietly in a corner, wearing a tiara.

The ensemble has its own website at www.auroraensemble.com

The Aurora Ensemble are Appointed Artists to South East Music Schemes 2007-2008

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