Music in the Round is a charitable organisation based in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, UK. Its aim is to provide quality chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

 concerts at affordable prices, and provide accessibility to all members of the community. As well as regular concerts at Sheffield Crucible

Crucible Theatre

The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....

's Studio Theatre, Music in the Round also run a national touring programme that currently involves thirteen venues across the UK.

The organisation was formed in the 1980s by Peter Cropper, leader of Sheffield's world-renowned string quartet, The Lindsays. Associated with Music in the Round is Music in the Community, which provides educational and outreach opportunities for young people and adults in South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...

 and nationally.

On the retirement of The Lindsays in 2005, Music in the Round formed Ensemble 360

Ensemble 360

Ensemble 360 is a British chamber music ensemble founded in 2005 by Music in the Round following the retirement of the Lindsay String Quartet. It comprises five string players, five wind players, and a pianist, and as often as possible presents concerts 'in the round', a performance style which is...

, a flexible ensemble of young musicians from across the globe, who are now permanently resident in Sheffield. The Ensemble's performances form the core of Music in the Round's concert activity.

As well as chamber music concerts, Music in the Round also promotes folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

concerts, as part of the Crucible Series.