The members of Moriarty Winds united over their desire to form an ensemble that could perform a variety of repertoire, from classical to contemporary, in new, characterful and accessible ways. Founded in September 2015, Moriarty Winds met as postgraduate students at the Royal Academy of Music. The name ‘Moriarty’ comes from an appreciation for the Royal Academy’s close proximity to Baker Street, home of Sherlock Holmes whose famous adversary was the notorious Moriarty! Graduates of the Royal Northern College of Music, University of Oxford and University of Bristol, Moriarty Winds frequently perform in concerts and festivals in the London area and beyond.

 

From 2017 - 2018, Moriarty Winds held a Chamber Music Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music. During this period, they represented the institution in international chamber music festivals, competed in a variety of competitions and received coaching from some of the best musicians in the world. Moriarty Winds were also a resident ensemble for the Wigmore Hall Chamber Tots series and have devised many outreach and participatory learning projects that have been used across the country. Their time as chamber music fellows at RAM saw the launch of 'Mladi @ Heart' - a project that used Janáček’s wind sextet Mládí to commission new compositions and inspire creative musical experiences in local schools.

 

Last year saw Moriarty Winds tour with 'Concerts in the West', a combination of varied concerts and workshops in the South-West, and also the release of a recording of Philip Cashian's 'Settala's Machine' in collaboration with the New London Chamber Ensemble. Moriarty Winds are the Chamber Ensemble in residence at Dorset Opera, where they make up the principal players of the wind section and French horns. As part of the residency, they coach talented young players from the Guildhall in a side-by-side scheme within the orchestra, as well as giving chamber music performances when not in the pit! Other recent highlights include performances at the Investec International Festival and Norfolk and Norwich Chamber Music Series.

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All members of the ensemble are also currently pursuing careers in solo and ensemble performance, and have a combined orchestral experience playing with ensembles including the Hallé Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Philharmonic and many more. 

 

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