Brother Tree Sound
'This feeling of the texture of the sound seems to be of primary importance to the players... These are performances where I was conscious of the magical physicality of the sound'
Planet Hugill
With three albums generating over 10 million streams worldwide, recent recipients of the prestigious Vaughan Williams Foundation grant and with numerous performances in music clubs, on concert platforms, at classical music festivals, outdoor stages and folk music clubs, Brother Tree Sound is a trailblazing string quartet with a passion for inspiring audiences through their scintillating performances.
Dedicated to the performance of new music, the group regularly commissions new works from established and emerging composers. Their Vaughan Williams Foundation grant has enabled them to commission Philharmonic Society prizewinning composer Ben Nobuto to write a piece for string quartet and horn as part of an ongoing project partnering with Ben Goldscheider. A number of their projects have been generously supported by the Herbert Howells Trust, Cavatina Trust and Watford Palace Theatre and ACE.
By encouraging new ways of listening and collectively interpreting the landscape and language of classical music in the 21st century, the groups dexterity as an ensemble and their open approach to creating projects allows them to move seamlessly from the great pillars of the string quartet repertoire to experimental music with space for some of their own arrangements of folk music along the way.
Poised to release their album of early 20th century French quartets by Ravel, Tailleferre, Milhaud and Durey with First Hand records in March 2025 Brother Tree Sound have become fascinated with this transitional period of music. The album release coincides with Ravels 150th birthday Anniversary with a concert to mark this occasion.
The quartet has a deep connection to folk music and in October 2024 they released their album Maid on the Shore. Here they are delving further into the rich and fascinating world of traditional folk songs from England, Ireland and Wales. Their heartfelt arrangements are driven by personal connections to the timeless traditions, stories and landscapes. The album includes well-known songs as well as uncovering a few hidden gems.
Members of Brother Tree Sound have played in chamber ensembles in many of Londons best loved venues including the Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Conway Hall. It is their love of the powerful intimacy of the string quartet that has brought them together and sees them continue their journey.
Over the past few seasons the quartet has recorded, made videos and commissioned music for a variety of projects. They released their hugely successful EP Interstices, in 2020 which has had worldwide success. Naming it after the Latin for 'The Space Between' the idea was to bring together four quite different styles of music that explore the same intangible idea of finding the spaces between notes, phrases, musical landscape and performers.The EP has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 a number of times.
Always searching for new audiences, the quartet released their album Songs Without Words in 2022. An album review from blogger 'Stationary Travels' writes: 'They found time to create an intimate record featuring their own composition which highlights their considerable prowess as arrangers and performers as well. The album abounds in intimate, ethereal beauty while occasionally showing playful glimpses of their self-confessed “eclectic tendencies”.
Future and current projects include the launch of our project of early 20th century French music by Ravel, Durey, Tailleferre and Milhaud to be released March 2025 on First Hand records, a concert at Fidelio Cafe, various concerts featuring a new commission 'The Fens' by Peter Fribbins for string quartet and horn, a return to Amersham Concert Club in November 2025 for a concert including Ravel string quartet, new music at Chesham Fringe festival May 2025, Chelmsford Cathedral concert series, and Mendelssohn and Beethoven in Wheatley Oxfordshire.
