After beginning to learn the trombone at an early age and working her way up through the National Children’s and Youth orchestras, Amy began learning the sackbut with Emily White during her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Since graduating she has enjoyed a varied freelance career on both the modern and historical trombones, performing both at home and abroad at many distinguished venues, with major orchestras such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Welsh National Opera.

Early music has become a passion that Amy wishes to develop further in her career as a specialism through her work with the Favonius Collective.

Eleanor started playing the bassoon at age 10 and has performed with numerous ensembles, including the Dorset Youth Symphony Orchestra and is currently a member of the South West based renaissance wind band, The Favonius Collective, the waits groups the Weston Wyndes and Baggeshotte Waytes and as one half of the woodwind duo Minerva Winds. Having found a passion for renaissance music whilst studying at Bath Spa University, Eleanor has attended several esteemed courses as a bursary student including The Dartington International Summer School,  Jackdaws and HISS, performing on the dulcian, shawm and recorder. Eleanor has also performed in several historical contexts, including at the Regency Ball at the Holburne museum and the 250th Anniversary of the Royal Crescent in Bath. Having graduated with a First in BA Music and achieved the award for Ensemble Performer in the Bath Spa class of 2019, Eleanor went on to specialise in a Masters in Music Performance, also at Bath Spa University, in which she achieved a distinction. Eleanor also enjoys Gamelan, having played as a member of the BSU Gamelan ensemble and leading workshops for students. Eleanor was supported during her time at University thanks to the generosity of the Taunton Maids Bursary.

Lyn Harradine has been playing her Sackbut regularly in Venice over several years and is a member of SWEMF.

She also plays trombone in several orchestras in Bristol.

Rick developed a taste for early music as a singer, and after a chance conversation with a cornettist after a concert decided he had to learn to play that too. Since then he's been playing as much as possible, and now also plays shawms whenever the opportunity arises!

He is an active member of SWEMF, and has taken part in numerous workshops and courses around the country, but his love of performance has led to involvement with this exciting new venture.

Stephen fell in love with the sound of the cornett in the mid 1980s but didn’t start playing until 2004, with encouragement from Jeremy West. He has attended a number of early winds courses run by Jamie Savan and Adam Woolf. He has taken part in workshops studying large scale works by Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Rogier, Biber and others.

Stephen is a former member of the City of Ely Waits and has performed in concerts with Hampstead Chamber Choir and the UCL Music Society. He also plays sackbut and trombone (with a particular interest in jazz). He has never played in Venice but has played in Solihull.

Originally from South-East London, Kira grew up in the Lake District studying the recorder, oboe and singing before undertaking her undergraduate degree in Music and Psychology at Bath Spa University. Whilst studying, she achieved a DipABRSM in recorder performance and later graduated with the university solo performance award. 

During her Masters degree, Kira found a love for early music and took up the shawm and tenor dulcian, as well as experimenting with other early instruments. Since graduating, she regularly performs as a freelance musician and with groups such as Sirinu, Weston Wyndes, Crescent Chamber Orchestra and the Favonius Collective.

Kate has a particular interest in the music of early 17th century Italy and this formed the focus of her research for both of her degrees. Alongside her work with The English Wind Consort she is a founding member of Ensemble La Notte, which specialises in baroque chamber music from Italy and Germany, and is also active touring and recording with chamber ensembles including Sirinu and Galliarda - the latter of which she has recently completed a project exploring music by little-known female composers from the 18th century. Solo concert highlights have included those at the Utrecht Early Music Festival fringe (following a period studying at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague), the London International Exhibition of Early Music and Open Recorder Days Amsterdam.

Kate also runs a busy private music practice in Stroud and coaches for various ensembles including the National Youth Recorder Orchestra and the Birmingham Schools Recorder Sinfonia.

Kate is an avid tea drinker, Moomin fanatic and lover of everything animal-related!