William Shields' early career as a violinist and violist brought him to the heart of London's musical life, where in 1773 he became the principal violinist of the Covent Garden Theatre Orchestra. The publication of the violin duets later that decade marked the beginning of Shields' success as a wildly popular composer. Each series of duets is carefully composed and contains many delightful details in the Italian style of Op. 1. The Op. 2 series is more compact and develops arioso vocal styles, refined textural changes, and folkloric elements such as rondo-like figurations.

This complete edition of William Shield's chamber music works was launched in October 2025 with his String Quartets Op. 3, about which Pizzicato wrote: "The Dorrit Ensemble is at home in the music of this period … [and] performs these elegant and timelessly charming works with musicality and subtle interpretations, making both the composer and the performers a pleasure to discover".

British violinist Elizabeth Layton was a soloist with many major British orchestras, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Australian violinist Elizabeth Sellars is an accomplished artist whose playing is known for her nuanced tone and technical assurance. Sellars has performed as guest concertmaster and principal violinist with many of Australia's leading orchestras. As a dedicated chamber musician, she was a co-founder of the Sutherland and Quercus Trios and the Techniski Quartet. The Dorrit Ensemble, based in Australia, is dedicated to performing chamber music from the early classical repertoire to today's music, and approaches previously unrecorded works with great musical craftsmanship and artistic maturity. Since 2019, the ensemble has performed regularly in Australia and New Zealand, and ensemble members are regularly invited to perform and tour in Australia, Europe, and North America.