The Royal Wind Music was formed by Paul Leenhouts in June 1997. The twelve players, originally from the UK, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, South Korea, Taiwan, USA and The Netherlands, all studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. The consort, a double sextet of renaissance recorders, specialises in English, German, Spanish and Italian instrumental music written between 1500 and 1640. The Royal Wind Music has toured in the USA and Europe, and has received wide acclaim for its precision, expressiveness and spirit. In 2006 the ensemble was awarded the Noorderkerk Prize during the finals of the Vriendenkrans Competition at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Their collection of renaissance recorders ranges from the twelve-inch sopranino to the sub-contrabass measuring over ten feet.