What’s in a name? Shakespeare’s question throws up all sorts of interesting answers when it comes to classical music ensembles. In many instances, it’s all pretty self explanatory – the London Symphony Orchestra, for instance, or the Danish String Quartet. Others, such as the Hallé or Britten Sinfonia, name themselves after their founder or another celebrated musical figure. And then there are those – usually at either the early or contemporary ends of the musical spectrum, for some reason – whose titles are altogether more obscure in origin. Some have a historical explanation, others are more randomly chosen. All catch the eye. Here are 15 of our favourites…
1 Nash Ensemble
When Amelia Freedman, a student at the Royal Academy of Music, founded the Nash Ensemble in 1964, one can imagine concert-goers scratching their heads as to which famous musical figure the new group got its name from. Heddle Nash, the great English tenor?
