Past Event - Ensemble Offspring

AVANT GARDENS: SONGBIRDS

Ensemble Offspring — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 03:41:00 +0000

Songbirds returns to Sydney by popular demand – a 30th birthday treat for our first musical garden party of 2025. Our composers have woken up with birds, hung out with them on their balconies, and documented their songs. Their scintillating and playful music captures virtuosic avian displays, Indigenous perspectives and the sounds of the bush. Nature comes to you as we literally riff with the birds.

DETAILS

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Saturday 8 March 5pm, Glebe
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Sunday 9 March 5pm, Kurraba Point
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PROGRAM

FIONA LOADER Lorikeet Corroboree (2015)

BRENDA GIFFORD Mungala (Clouds) (2018)

NARDI SIMPSON Of Stars and Birds (2020)

ROBERT DAVIDSON Bird Riffs: Kookaburra Riff, Raven Riff (2024)

CAITLIN YEO A Tawny Tale* (2024)

NICK RUSSONIELLO Dawn Searching (2014)

HOLLIS TAYLOR & JON ROSE Wintersun 2014 (2022)

GERARD BROPHY Beautiful Birds: Flamingos, Hummingbirds (2019)

ROBERT DAVIDSON Bird Riffs: Magpie Riff (2024)

* World Premiere & Commissioned by the Silo Collective

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jason Noble (clarinets)

DESCRIPTION

Beguiling audiences since 2019, Songbirds has become an Ensemble Offspring crowd-favourite. Ever since, we have toured Songbirds around Australia and the world, and our home crowd have been begging us to bring it into their gardens. Now Songbirds returns as a 30th birthday treat for our first musical garden party of 2025.

In an intimate, salon setting, Nature comes to you, as a trio of flute, clarinet and percussion evokes virtuosic avian displays and the weird and wonderful sounds of the Australian bush. The musical guest list includes the pied butcherbird, magpies, a laughing kookaburra, a frenzied flock of rainbow lorikeets, even a nightingale… Everything you’ll hear was written especially for Ensemble Offspring by composers who’ve woken up with ‘Nature’s first musicians’, hung out with them on their balconies and documented their songs. Brenda Gifford and Nardi Simpson bring Indigenous perspective, turning eyes and ears to the sky. The results are musical conversations – scintillating and playful – as we literally riff with the birds.

What can you expect from an Avant Gardens concert experience?

These social salon concerts take place in the lovely private homes of generous Ensemble Offspring supporters, so we only share the exact address with concert-goers the week of the event in our pre-concert information email. When you arrive you will be warmly welcomed by the Ensemble Offspring team. Throughout the concert you’ll learn more about the music as the musicians and composers share stories and background on the works. After the concert, we invite you to join the musicians, composers and our wonderful hosts for a chat, a glass or two of Rowlee Wines Cuveé and a selection of delectables.

“Ensemble Offspring “joined the contrapuntal web, matching the avian virtuosity with their own”

— The Sydney Morning Herald

“sonic and textural delights abound throughout Songbirds”

— Limelight

“Ensemble Offspring “capture the calls and songs of Australia’s birds and create something new: familiar, yes, but unique and engaging and exciting too”

— Australian Arts Review

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Accessibility Information

The Avant Gardens concerts take place in the private homes of some of Ensemble Offspring’s generous supporters. Some homes may have steps, limiting wheelchair access, but ambulant or mobility-restricted attendees can enter with extra time and assistance. If you have accessibility requirements, please reach out to the friendly Ensemble Offspring team by emailing admin@ensembleoffspring.com.

SUPPORTED BY

Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

LUMEN MACHINE

Ensemble Offspring — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 03:41:00 +0000

Launching our 30th birthday season, Lumen Machine will take you to the bleeding edge of musical technology. In a thrilling collaboration with London-based ‘cyborg pianist’ Zubin Kanga, three new chamber concertos have been commissioned for world premiere this April in Sydney and Newcastle. This explosive concert combines Ensemble Offspring’s forces with Zubin as soloist performing on microtonal keyboard, motion-sensor ring, light-control sensors and an old-school synthesiser. Experience a virtuosic dance with the future, a joyous and exhilarating journey into sound worlds of tomorrow!

DETAILS

Saturday 12 April 7:30pm, The Neilson ACO On The Pier

Pre Concert Talk 6:45pm

Sunday 13 APRIL 3:30pm, Newcastle Conservatorium of Music

PROGRAM

BRIGITTA MUNTENDORF Weight and Load #2* (2025)

ZUBIN KANGA From the Machine (after Eastman)* (2025)

AMANDA COLE Dream Garden* (2025)

ANNA MEREDITH Bumps Per Minute: Joy Subdivision, Deep Thought Panda, Norcanoe, Tom Cruise Runs (2021, arr. Jessica Wells 2023)

TRISTAN COELHO Hot Take* (2025)

* World premiere

Duration approx. 70 minutes

The new works by Brigitta Muntendorf, Amanda Cole and Tristan Coelho were commissioned by Zubin Kanga as part of Cyborg Soloists, supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship and Royal Holloway, University of London.

PERFORMERS

Zubin Kanga (piano, keyboard soloist)
Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flute)
Jason Noble (clarinet)
Véronique Serret (violin)
Blair Harris (cello)
Benjamin Carey (sound)

Pre Concert Talk Host

Stephen Adams

DESCRIPTION

Lumen Machine will take you to the bleeding edge of musical technology. In a thrilling collaboration with ‘cyborg pianist’ and Ensemble Offspring alumnus Zubin Kanga, four new chamber concertos three new concertos featuring Zubin will bring everything we find exciting about music – its drama, its personality, its virtuosity – into a futuristic sound world.

What’s in store? Wielding special powers through a motion-sensor ring, the protagonist in Hot Take – initially a force for good – turns ‘increasingly villainous’. Dream Garden employs the game-changing Lumatone keyboard and Amanda Cole’s own 48-note scale (Cube Tuning) in a mesmerising contemporary chaconne. Renowned German-Austrian composer Brigitta Muntendorf uses light-control sensors to transform the pianist into an alien-like soloist, a ‘monstrous techno-social hallucination’. Meanwhile, our soloist Zubin Kanga turns to the rhythmic arpeggiations of an old-school analogue synthesizer to spin a vibrant, whirling dance in From the Machine (after Eastman). And we’ll leave you smiling with an original arrangement of Anna Meredith’s Bumps Per Minute, an exhilarating sound experience that has been likened to ‘drinking several very strong cups of coffee in fast succession’.

Photography by Ollie Miller

“Kanga is an equally exciting pianist, effortlessly virtuosic and in complete command of this (quite literally) electrifying modern repertoire”

— Limelight

“A fearless pianist, composer and technologist, Zubin Kanga is a true advocate for the new and unknown.”

— The Journal of Music

“Discovering new music is made an accessible and enjoyably open-minded experience in Ensemble Offspring’s capable hands”

— Sydney Arts Guide

“For Kanga, electronics are clearly not an addition, but a fundamental part of working with his instrument, and the physicality of his performance a keystone rather than an afterthought.”

— The Journal of Music

“Immersive: tick. Interactive: tick. Innovative: tick. Collaborative: tick. Fortunately, it never takes itself too seriously”

— FInancial Times

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM

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SPECIAL THANK YOU

Ensemble Offspring extends heartfelt thanks to Kirsty McCahon and Kees Boersma for so generously loaning their cello to us for this performance.

SUPPORTED BY

Accessibility Information

ACO On The Pier

Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, Harold Lobb Concert Hall

The entire venue is wheelchair accessible with limited number of wheelchair spaces. The Harold Lobb Concert Hall can be accessed via a ramp to the left once you enter the foyer. If you have accessibility requirements, please reach out to the friendly Ensemble Offspring team by emailing admin@ensembleoffspring.com.

LONG PLAY FESTIVAL

Ensemble Offspring — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 03:41:00 +0000

Ensemble Offspring heads to the Big Apple as a featured ensemble at Long Play Festival in Brooklyn, New York City for our USA debut. Presented by Bang on a Can, this three-day festival includes over 50 performances taking place in diverse venues across downtown Brooklyn.

DETAILS

Saturday 3 May 4:30pm, the space at irondale

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sunday 4 may 3:00pm, BRIC Arts media
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Ensemble Offspring travels to New York for the first time to showcase the unique talents of our very best Australian composers and performers across two exciting programs. The first will showcase Australian composer Kate Moore, with our favourite works she’s written for the ensemble as well as the premiere of a brand new quartet entitled Rose of Roses, Flower of Flowers inspired by Cantigas de Santa Maria a collection of 13th century songs where, intoxicated by the aroma of a rose, the nightingale, sings itself to death.

The second program features works from iconic 20th century composer Iannis Xenakis alongside Australian composers Brenda Gifford (Yuin Country) and Felicity Wilcox. Ensemble Offspring will be joined by guest New York based musicians Clara Warnaar (percussion) and Amanda Gookin (cello) for these performances.

PROGRAM 1

KATE MOORE Blackbird Song (2018)

KATE MOORE Synaesthesia Suite (2014)

KATE MOORE Rose of Roses, Flower of Flowers* (2025)

KATE MOORE Joyful Melodies (2024)

KATE MOORE Fern (2012)

* World premiere

PROGRAM 2

BRENDA GIFFORD Mungala (2018)

CLAUDE VIVIER Piece for violin and clarinet (1975)

IANNIS XENAKIS mikka (1971)

FELICITY WILCOX People of this Place (2016)

IANNIS XENAKIS Dhipli Zyia (1951)

IANNIS XENAKIS Charisma (1971)

IANNIS XENAKIS Rebonds b/a (1987-1989)

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flute)
Jason Noble (clarinet)
Véronique Serret (violin)
Clara Warnaar (guest percussion)
Amanda Gookin (guest cello)

“Ms. Moore, a young Australian composer based in the Netherlands, creates alluring textures with acoustic and electronic elements.”

— New York Times

“Edwardes’ sheer focus over the course of this long piece (‘Joyful Melodies’) was spectacular. With her teeth gritted and brow furrowed in concentration, Moore’s music became drama. This is the ‘painful’ kind of joy Moore was portraying, I am sure. ”

— Classikon

AVANT GARDENS: DOUBLE SYMMETRY

Ensemble Offspring — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 03:41:00 +0000

In this intimate salon concert, Véronique Serret and Blair Harris show how a violin and a cello can create the richness and power of a string quartet – synergy and symmetry in action. Their program of duets and solos is a microcosm of human emotion, playing on dramatic contrasts: light and dark, smooth tonality and daring dissonance, power and delicacy, moody sentiment and fierce virtuosity, sinuous lines and dance-like energy.

DETAILS

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Saturday 17 May 3pm, BOYCE ST, GlebE *
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Sunday 18 May 3pm, HENDERSON RD, AlexandriA *

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Thursday 29 May 8pm, Tempo Rubato
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* The exact address for this concert will be communicated to ticket holders a week before the event.

PROGRAM

ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR Synergie, for violin and cello (2010)

JÖRG WIDMANN Set I (I, III, II) from 24 Duos for violin and cello (2008)

KATE MOORE Song of Ropes, for solo cello (2017)

JÖRG WIDMANN Set II (XIV, VIII) from 24 Duos for violin and cello (2008)

KAIJA SAARIAHO Aure, for violin and cello (2015)

JÖRG WIDMANN Set III (VI, XXII) from 24 Duos for violin and cello (2008)

HOLLY HARRISON Ice Giant, for solo violin (2023)

JÖRG WIDMANN Set IV (XVI, XIII, XXI) from 24 Duos for violin and cello (2008)

IANNIS XENAKIS Dhipli Zyia (Double Symmetry), for violin and cello (1951)

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SPECIAL THANK YOU

Ensemble Offspring extends heartfelt thanks to Kirsty McCahon and Kees Boersma for so generously loaning their cello to us for this performance.

PERFORMERS

Véronique Serret (violin)
Blair Harris (cello)

DESCRIPTION

Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür once said you don’t need a full orchestra to create a powerful soundscape, and in this intimate salon concert, Véronique Serret and Blair Harris show how a violin and a cello can create the richness and power of a string quartet – synergy and symmetry in action.

Their program plays to the drama of contrasts – from the tensions between tonal and atonal in Tüür’s fiercely uncompromising Synergie, to the juxtapositions of shimmering mellifluousness of Kaija Saariaho’s Aure, and the sense of attraction and rejection in Jörg Widmann’s Duos. Holly Harrison turns her imagination to the planet Neptune in a brilliant solo, composed for Serret, that’s part bluegrass fiddle, part heavy metal guitar. And an early work by Iannis Xenakis unifies the duo once again for an energetic, folk-infused finale in the spirit of Béla Bartók.

What can you expect from an Avant Gardens concert experience?

“Far away from the prescribed boundaries of western musical genres, Serret’s performance demonstrated artistic curiosity, musical flexibility, and virtuosity.”

— CityNews Canberra

“You could hear the.. bouncing, darting, quivering..interwoven and delicately trembling…pushing the boundaries of cello technique and Harris displayed remarkable artistry and technique.”

— Music Trust

“Throughout the performance, Serret’s mastery of her instrument was undeniable, …her performance was seamless… a creative vision unbound by convention…Magic.”

— Classikon

“...the masterful interplay between the instruments skilfully conveyed the attribute of breath to an entranced audience.”

— ClassikON

REVIEWS

SPECIAL THANK YOU

Ensemble Offspring extends heartfelt thanks to Kirsty McCahon and Kees Boersma for so generously loaning their cello to us for this performance.

Accessibility Information

Tempo Rubato, Melbourne

SUPPORTED BY

Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

DIVINE DARKNESS

Ensemble Offspring — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 03:41:00 +0000

Join us for our 30th birthday celebration as an international cast of the hottest composers working today, Ensemble Offspring in full force, and soprano Jane Sheldon come together for a divinely dark program that transcends the rituals of the concert hall. A turbulent sonic dreamworld frames the works of David T. Little and Lisa Illean, while video by Peachey & Mosig creates an all encompassing musical experience for eyes and ears.

DETAILS

Thursday 3 July 6:30pm, The Neilson, ACO On The Pier

PRE CONCERT TALK 5:45PM (The studio)

Friday 4 July 6:30pm, The Street Theatre, CANBERRA

PROGRAM

ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR Entropic Arrows (2019)

JANE SHELDON Come, dark sigh* (2025)

DAVID T. LITTLE Ghostlight (2015)

DANIELA TERRANOVA Rainbow Dust in the Sky (2018)

LISA ILLEAN Cantor (after Willa Cather) (2017)

* World premiere

Pre Concert Talk Panel
Vanessa Hughes (Host), David T. Little, Jane Sheldon

ARTISTS

Jack Symonds (conductor)
Jane Sheldon (soprano)
Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Véronique Serret (violin)
Liisa Pallandi (violin)
Henry Justo (viola)
Blair Harris (cello)
Benjamin Ward (double bass)
Ronan Apcar (piano - 2025 Hatched Emerging Performer)
Ben Carey (sound)
Veronique Benett (lighting design)
Peachey & Mosig (live video art)

DESCRIPTION

Ensemble Offspring transcends the rituals of the concert hall in a drama-infused program that’s as much for the eyes as it is for the ears.

At the heart of the concert, David T. Little’s Ghostlight plays on the superstitions and mysteries of the theatre in a spellbinding musical journey – equal parts introspection and turbulent drama. A transcendent new work for voice and ensemble by Jane Sheldon takes the Buddhist concept of vihava tanha (the desire for non-existence) as its starting point. Transformation underpins Entropic Arrows by Icelandic powerhouse Anna Thorvaldsdottir, as fragile and delicate musical ideas are passed from one musician to another – no turning back. And Daniela Terranova’s Rainbow Dust in the Sky offers ghostly echoes and fragments from “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in an elusive lullaby. Jane Sheldon returns to the stage for Lisa Illean’s ethereal and romantic Cantor (after Willa Cather) haunting the boundaries between day and night. Wrapping the music in visions of light, an immersive video by Peachey & Mosig will make this divinely dark sonic dreamworld all encompassing.

“Ghostlight travels from the quiet of dusk through an often fierce, turbulent night to an introspective dawn”

— Musical America

“Lisa Illean’s calm soprano part explores the quiet certainties of the inner world against a background of loneliness and delicate beauty.”

— The Sydney Morning Herald

“Sheldon transitions from passages that recall the ethereal vocalise of Mieczysław Weinberg… to the screaming of Yoko Ono…It’s thrilling stuff”

— Limelight

“leaving behind a sense of iridescence as though a new awareness has been born”

— Sydney Morning Herald

“David T. Little is “one of the most imaginative young composers on the music-theatre scene…not a post-classical composer but a classical composer with a surprisingly broad range.”

— The New Yorker

“Caught in a web of suspended animation, Illean’s music draws in the listener…”

— Gramophone

“A concert that must be seen. Hearing it is not enough…a blast and a half of colour, fun and musical ingenuity.”

— City News (Canberra)

REVIEWS

ClassikON

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM

SPECIAL THANK YOU

Ensemble Offspring extends heartfelt thanks to Kirsty McCahon and Kees Boersma for so generously loaning their cello to us for this performance.

Accessibility Information

ACO On The Pier

The Street Theatre

SUPPORTED BY

Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

MOONSTRUCK

Ensemble Offspring — Thu, 01 May 2025 03:41:00 +0000

Almost 30 years to the day and in the same venue as the Spring Ensemble’s first concert, Moonstruck looks to the origins of our ensemble and imagines the future. The starting point is Arnold Schoenberg’s revolutionary classic from 1912, Pierrot lunaire – still radical to the ear as it straddles the border between cabaret and concert, acting and singing. And we’re pitting it against a long form provocative new take on the original, commissioned from UK ‘triple threat’ Laura Bowler. Presented in association with Sydney Chamber Opera.

DETAILS

FRIDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 6:30PM, THE STREET THEATRE, CANBERRA
SUNDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 3:00PM, EUGENE GOOSSENS HALL, ABC ULTIMO CENTRE
PRE CONCERT TALK 2:15PM

PROGRAM

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Pierrot lunaire* (1912) 35’

Interval (20 minutes)

LAURA BOWLER Deconstructing Pierrot (2024) 43’

Australian premiere, co-commissioned by Ensemble Offspring, Red Note Ensemble (Scotland), and Music on Main (Canada)
Generously supported by the Wales Family Foundation

*Staged version in Sydney only

Pre Concert Talk Panel

Vanessa Hughes (host), Claire Edwardes and Jack Symonds

PERFORMERS

Jessica Aszodi (vocals)
Jane Sheldon (vocals)
Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jason Noble (clarinet)
Véronique Serret (violin)
Blair Harris (cello)
Jack Symonds (piano)
Benjamin Carey (electronics)
Mitchell Riley (actor, Sydney only)
Eugene Lynch (director, Sydney only)

DESCRIPTION

Pierrot lunaire sits somewhere between cabaret and concert, acting and singing, madness and depravity. Showcasing the extraordinary talents of soprano Jane Sheldon, it flirts with chaos as Arnold Schoenberg translates each tiny poem into music. It’s over a hundred years old, but it remains radical to the ear – a revolutionary classic that transformed music and concerts forever, just as Cubism changed painting. Even Ensemble Offspring’s distinctive line-up of musicians can be traced to this iconic creation and its grungy tale of the ‘moonstruck’ clown of commedia dell’arte.

In a one off staged performance at Eugene Goossens Hall presented in association with Sydney Chamber Opera, Pierrot lunaire looks to Ensemble Offspring’s origins and imagines the future. And we’re pitting it against a long form new work by ‘triple threat composer-performer provocatrice’ Laura Bowler. In a fresh interpretation of Albert Giraud’s poems, Bowler will deconstruct and repurpose Schoenberg’s original musical material, viewing it through a contemporary queer lens in ‘a subversive act of defiance of the great master’. International star mezzo-soprano Jessica Aszodi, one of the “finest actress-singers in the country” (The Age) joins us for the virtuosic challenge of Schoenberg’s reimagined vocal lines.

“the sheer energy behind [Bowler’s music] is irresistible”

— The Guardian

“...a wonderfully stylised presentation of Pierrot lunaire which laid out its structure and narrative trajectory with cogency and engaging theatricality.”

— Sydney Morning Herald

“...the impact of such works also lies in the way they live in the memory. Both received superb performances.”

— Sydney Morning Herald

“the audience were drawn in like moths to a light, including random gallery-goers whose attention was caught and held firm.”

— Classikon

“Ensemble Offspring created moments of carefully shaded mania.”

— Sydney Morning Herald

“In the closing section Aszodi obsessively and impressively repeated the interval of the tritone (the ‘devil’s interval’ and notoriously hard to pitch) while moving ever upwards in range without flinching or a hint of imprecision.”

— Sydney Morning Herald

REVIEWS

Sydney Morning Herald ★★★★

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Our accessible program is screen reader friendly.

SPECIAL THANK YOU

Ensemble Offspring extends heartfelt thanks to Kirsty McCahon and Kees Boersma for so generously loaning their cello to us for this performance.

Accessibility Information

ABC Ultimo Centre, Eugene Goossens Hall

The Eugene Goossens Hall is fully wheelchair accessible via a ramp on the left side of the entrance stairs. If you have accessibility requirements, please reach out to the friendly Ensemble Offspring team by emailing admin@ensembleoffspring.com.

The Street Theatre

SUPPORTED BY

Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

NGARRA-BURRIA 2025

Ensemble Offspring — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 02:41:00 +0000

Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers 2025 Showcase

Each year, Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers – our award-winning collaborative First Nations artist development program – brings exciting new artistic voices into the spotlight - you can discover them for yourself in this concert at the Eugene Goossens Hall (Sydney). Hear new instrumental works from the 2025 cohort alongside music by Mark ‘Munk’ Ross and join the celebration of stories reflecting culture, country and connection to the here and now.

DETAILS

Wednesday 15 October 6pm, Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo Centre

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PROGRAM

Musical Acknowledgement of Country

CHRISTOPHER SAINSBURY Simple Truths (2024)

NICOLE SMEDE Garan (Wings Of Birds)* (2025)

AARON WYATT Cumulus (2022)

BRENDA GIFFORD Saltwater* (2025)

WILL KEPA Sleepless Dreaming (2022)

TROY RUSSEL Motorways* (2025)

TROY RUSSEL No Thoughts (2011)

MARK MUNK ROSS The Generations* (2025) First Nations Composer in Residence Commission

MARK MUNK ROSS Colonisation of the Ibis* (2025)

* World premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Lamorna Nightingale (flute)
Ronan Apcar (piano)
Sonya Holowell (voice)
Nicole Smede (voice)

DESCRIPTION

Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers is our award-winning collaborative artist development program, and in 2025 we celebrate ten years of building bridges for First Nations musicians to develop composition skills while connecting with their cultural roots. Each year, Ngarra-Burria brings exciting new artistic voices into the spotlight and you can discover them for yourself in this concert at the Eugene Goossens Hall (Sydney).

Hear new instrumental works from the 2025 cohort alongside music by Mark ‘Munk’ Ross, Ensemble Offspring’s 2025–26 First Nations Composer in Residence, and join the celebration of stories reflecting culture, country and connection to the here and now.

“Too Deadly”

— Limelight

“The bridges it has built between forms, genres, stories and generations are already reshaping the future of Australian music. And we are all the richer for it.”

— ClassikON

“A team of incredible composers, mentors, and Ensemble Offspring’s musical interpreters, coming together to empower First Nations Voices”

— Limelight

“Ensemble Offspring’s program showcased not only the unique styles and arrangements of the compositions, but also gave a sense of the importance of storytelling for First Nations people.”

— Limelight

“While Australia has been debating the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in parliament, a dozen First Nations composers have been given their own voice…”

— Limelight

REVIEWS

ClassikON

Accessibility Information

SUPPORTED BY

Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

FUTURE CLASSICS 2025

Ensemble Offspring — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 01:39:00 +0000

This Sydney Opera House showcase celebrates the best of a new generation of musical creators, nurtured within Ensemble Offspring’s acclaimed Hatched Academy program of composer intensives and artist mentorship. Discover the Future Classics of new Australian art music in a program featuring exciting young pianist Ronan Apcar, our 2025 Hatched Emerging Performer, alongside our virtuosic Ensemble Offspring instrumentalists.

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DETAILS

Saturday 22 November 3pm, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House

Pre Concert Talk 2:15pm

PROGRAM

KLEARHOS MURPHY Thy Mystical Names* (2025) (Hatched Alumni Commission)

GEORGINA BOWDEN Magnetic Fields* (2025)

CALLUM O'REILLY Mechanical Buddha with Fluctuations* (2025)

BETH ROCHE Netherlandish Proverbs* (2025)

LOUIS WISHART Children of Aurora* (2025)

THOMAS MEADOWCROFT Old Rags* (2025) (Emerging Performer Commission)

* World premiere

PERFORMERS

Ronan Apcar (piano - Hatched Emerging Performer)
Lamorna Nightingale (flute)
Jason Noble (clarinet)
Benjamin Ward (double bass)
Niki Johnson (percussion)

Pre-Concert Talk Panel

Stephen Adams (Host), Claire Edwardes and Holly Harrison

DESCRIPTION

The Ensemble Offspring Hatched Academy has been an incubator for the Australian music scene for more than a decade, with ‘fledglings’ having taken flight all over Australia, bringing fresh ideas and creative excellence to the vanguard of contemporary music.

In this Sydney Opera House showcase, our Hatched Composer Intensive and Emerging Performer residencies for 2025 come to fruition, and it’s your chance to discover the Future Classics of new Australian art music.

Hear world premieres from four of our nation’s most innovative young composers, composed especially for Ensemble Offspring under the guidance of 2025 mentor Holly Harrison. Featured on stage: exciting and versatile young pianist Ronan Apcar, our 2025 Hatched Emerging Performer, alongside our virtuosic Ensemble Offspring instrumentalists.

Hatched Composer Intensive photos by Oliver Miller

WATCH

“Ensemble Offspring’s mission is not just honourable, but essential. In other words, they are not just doing the right thing, they are doing what is necessary for the survival of new music in Australia.”

— CutCommon

“Ensemble Offspring are both giving to the future and also gaining from the energy and delight that these musicians bring to all they do”

— Classikon

“When it comes to championing new music, Ensemble Offspring walks the walk.”

— CutCommon

“Ensemble Offspring may be in the nurturing business but the fledglings in this…mentoring scheme, appropriately monikered ‘Hatched’, are seriously talented youngsters.”

— Limelight

“Future Classics reaffirms the importance of supporting new sounds and voices in Sydney’s often reserved musical scene. A program defined by diversity, each work independently offered insights into the possibilities of sound in live performance.”

— Limelight

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Accessibility Information

Sydney Opera House

Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

Ensemble Offspring is kindly supported by Judith Neilson and Phoenix Central Park.

PSYCHEDELIC FRENZY

Ensemble Offspring — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Blurring the lines between high and low art, this cutting-edge music blends classical with electronica, rock and pop culture. Experience the frenetic sounds of our fast-paced lifestyle in five virtuosic works from composers you need to know.

DETAILS

Saturday 23 March, 6:30pm at The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Sydney

PROGRAM

KATE MOORE Joyful Melodies (2024)*

WANG LU Cloud Intimacy (2016)

BERNHARD GANDER beijing (2010, arr. 2024)*

HANNAH PEEL Neon (2021)**

FAUSTO ROMITELLI Amok Koma (2001)

* World Premiere

** Australian Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Roland Peelman (conductor)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jason Noble (clarinet, bass clarinet)
Claudia Jelic (clarinet)
Alice Morgan (saxophone)
Sonya Lifschitz (piano)
Theo Carbo (electric guitar)
Kyla Matsuura-Miller (violin)
Andrew Jezek (viola)
Blair Harris (cello)

DESCRIPTION

Blurring the lines between high and low art, this cutting-edge music blends classical with electronica, rock and pop culture. Experience the frenetic sounds of our fast-paced lifestyle in five virtuosic works from composers you need to know.

Wang Lu's Cloud Intimacy and Fausto Romitelli's Amok Koma create captivating narratives through frenetic gestures. Hannah Peel's Neon offers a serene respite, weaving a mesmerising tapestry of steady pulses and vibrant hues. Saxophonist Alice Morgan, Ensemble Offspring's Hatched Associate Artist, joins Jason Noble for a one-minute burst of musical vigor in Bernhard Gander's beijing. Claire Edwardes unveils Kate Moore's Joyful Melodies in an electrifying world premiere.

“Edwardes’ sheer focus over the course of this long piece was spectacular. With her teeth gritted and brow furrowed in concentration, Moore’s music became drama.”

— Courtney Cousins, ClassikON

“The fragments of melody on saxophone and clarinet added an element of sexiness, or distorted romance, whilst the abrasive electric guitar and electronics added a sense of urban grunge to the instrumental timbres associated with more ‘classical’ music.”

— Courtney Cousins, ClassikON

REVIEWS

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

AVANT GARDENS I

Ensemble Offspring — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 08:20:00 +0000

Back by popular demand, Avant Gardens presents living music in living spaces. The series pairs genre-bending classics with Australian premieres in stunning ‘house concerts’ throughout Sydney. Enjoy chamber music as intended: up close, in a relaxed atmosphere, and surrounded by friendly faces – your safe space to explore something new.

DETAILS

Saturday 27 April, Glebe, Sydney
Sunday 29 April, Alexandria, Sydney

PROGRAM

DAVID LANG lend/lease (2008)

DAI FUJIKURA Twin Tweets (2019)

LARRY SITSKY Zuqerq (1984)

TANSY DAVIES Yoik II (2021)

ELIZABETH JIGALIN Dream Sequence (2024)*

GIACINTO SCELSI Maknongan (1976)

MICHAEL SMETANIN Temple (2015)

ALEXANDRE LUNSQUI Topografia Index 3A (2008)

* World Premiere, Supported by the APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jason Noble (clarinets)

“The result was a performance full of extreme dynamic ranges and textural variety, with nuances appreciated best in the intimate setting. And, as always, there was the typical Ensemble Offspring energy of fun and lightness balanced with the tension and detail each piece required.”

— Isabella Rahme, ClassikON

REVIEWS

classikON, May 3 2024

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

XANADU SKY

Ensemble Offspring — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 09:33:00 +0000

With three solos and an epic 30-minute trio, Xanadu Sky is a journey through hypnotically evolving patterns.

DETAILS

Sunday 16 June, Church Street Studios, Sydney
Monday 17 June, Tempo Rubato, Melbourne
Wednesday 13 June, The Street Theatre, Canberra
Thursday 25 July, University of Queensland, Brisbane

PROGRAM

CAROLINE SHAW Gustav le Gray (2012)

BRENDA GIFFORD Walimbaya (Return) (2022)

ANDRIáN PERTOUT Musica Battuta (2016)

SARAH HENNIES Spectral Malsconcities (2018)*

* Australian Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Benjamin Ward (double bass)
Alex Raineri (piano)

DESCRIPTION

With three solos and an epic 30-minute trio, Xanadu Sky is a journey through shifting patterns that slowly evolve like a hypnotic dusk horizon. Hear every subtle sonority of the double bass, percussion and piano as they each take their turn in the spotlight as soloists and join forces as a meticulous musical machine.

Alex Raineri (piano), Benjamin Ward (double bass) and Claire Edwardes (percussion) shine in solo works by Caroline Shaw, Brenda Gifford and Andrian Pertout. Finally, Sarah Hennies' crowning trio Spectral Malsconcities balances on a knife's edge between rhythmic virtuosity and carefully crafted chaos.

“Ensemble Offspring always creates something new with every concert. This one highlighted how achieving a state of ecstasy through repetition is also a form of musical enjoyment.”

— Rob Kennedy, Canberra City News

REVIEWS

Canberra City News, June 20 2024

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

LIGHT AND MATTER

Ensemble Offspring — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:11:00 +0000

From mystical folktales to fading memories, Light and Matter responds to experiences beyond our physical world.

DETAILS

Saturday 3 August, the Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House
Wednesday 7 August, The Street Theatre, Canberra

PROGRAM

BREE VAN REYK Remnant Magnetism (2024)*

KAIJA SAARIAHO Light and Matter (2014)

MAY LYON Do Na Chaill (2024)*

GEORGES APERGHIS Wild Romance (2013)**

*World Premiere

**Australian Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Jane Sheldon (soprano)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Ben Opie (oboe)
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Véronique Serret (violin)
Andrew Jezek (viola)
Blair Harris (cello)
Jack Symonds (piano)
Niki Johnson (percussion)

DESCRIPTION

Joined by renowned soprano Jane Sheldon, Ensemble Offspring’s octet perform two world premieres, a visceral Australian premiere and a classic from a recently departed icon. From mystical folktales to haunting fragments of fading memories, this is a program which is truly out of this world.

Georges Aperghis' Wild Romance isn't as tender as the title suggests, but is undeniably passionate. Extreme tensions between the vocalist and chamber ensemble evoke the reconstruction of a painful distant memory. Kaija Saariaho's Light and Matter captures the continuous transformation of light on glinting leaves in New York's Morningside Park. World premieres by Australians Bree van Reyk and May Lyon navigate the intangible and mystical themes of the program, including Scottish folklore and disembodied voices.

“There is a particular passion that emanates from dedicated exponents of brand new and recent music. The expert contemporary musicians assembled to present Ensemble Offspring’s latest programme, Light and Matter definitely conveyed an endearing enthusiasm for the intricacies and concepts of the works presented.”

— Paul Nolan, Sydney Arts Guide

“Sydney is so fortunate to have such a talented group of musicians utterly committed to contemporary music. They bravely tackle music that to mere mortals just seems absolutely daunting. Thank you Ensemble Offspring for this wonderful and inspiring concert.”

— Daniel Kaan, ClassikON

REVIEWS

Sydney Arts Guide, 5 August 2024 ★★★★★
ClassikON, 4 August 2024

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

AVANT GARDENS II

Ensemble Offspring — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:09:00 +0000

Avant Gardens presents genre-bending classics with Australian premieres in intimate ‘house concerts’ throughout Sydney.

DETAILS

Saturday 31 August 5:00pm, Glebe, Sydney
Sunday 1 September 3:30pm, Tempe, Sydney

PROGRAM

ALEX TURLEY Rosewood & Steel (2023)

ARISTEA MELLOS Preludes: Book One (2022)

GARETH FARR Kembang Suling (1996)

ANNE BOYD KaKan (1984)

MARK POLLARD The Amber Room (2004)

GEMMA PEACOCKE I Promise Not to Poison You xoxo (2024)*

ANGUS DAVISON Fable (2024)**

*World Premiere

**World Premiere, commissioned by the Silo Collective

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jocelyn Ho (piano)

DESCRIPTION

Avant Gardens presents living new music in an inviting and cosy ’house concert’ setting. Pairing genre-bending classics with Australian premieres, our final Avant Gardens shows of 2024 showcase a new face for EO in pianist Jocelyn Ho alongside Claire on her 5 octave marimba and Lamorna on many and various flutes. Enjoy chamber music up close with informal introductions to the music as well as drinks, nibbles and hearty conversations with composers and performers after the show.

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

GILGAMESH

Ensemble Offspring — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 03:54:00 +0000

The world’s oldest poem. Opera’s most cutting-edge artists. The ancient and contemporary collide to dazzling effect in this world premiere. Opera Australia, Sydney Chamber Opera and Carriageworks present Gilgamesh, in association with Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring.

DETAILS

September 26 - October 5, 2024, Carriageworks, Sydney

PERFORMERS

Jeremy Kleeman (Gilgamesh)
Mitchell Riley (Enkidu)
Jane Sheldon (Ishtar/Scorpion)
Jessica O’Donoghue (Shamhat/ Uta-Napishti/Scorpion)
Daniel Szesiong Todd (Humbaba/Ur-Shanabi)
Australian String Quartet
Claire Edwardes (Percussion, Artistic Director)
Lamorna Nightingale (Flutes)
Jason Noble (Clarinets)
Jacob Abela (Piano/Keyboard)
Jasper Ly (Oboe/Cor Anglais)
Benjamin Ward (Double Bass)
Melina van Leeuwen (Harp)

DESCRIPTION

The Epic of Gilgamesh is humanity’s oldest written epic poem. Emerging from ancient Mesopotamian mythology, it tells of a restless young king who, through experiences of love and loss, becomes a better person. His unexpected love for a half-man, half-animal leads him wide-eyed into mysterious realms.

Gilgamesh’s story sings to us across millennia, and this brand-new opera uncovers all that remains strikingly relevant: its approach to mortality, sexuality and our relationship with nature. This is the first opera in English based upon this foundational part of civilisation.

Composed by Sydney Chamber Opera Artistic Director Jack Symonds and brought to Carriageworks’ vast performance space by visionary director Kip Williams (Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray), Gilgamesh is an epic that must be experienced.

Singing scorpions share the stage with a Bull of Heaven and oracles predicting the end of the world.

This marks the first time we’ve collaborated with Sydney Chamber Opera, a company renowned for presenting “an astonishing new vision of what contemporary opera can achieve” (Time Out). Two outstanding chamber music ensembles bring a collective virtuosity to this colourful new score: Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring.

Symonds conducts a cast of Australian contemporary opera specialists. Jeremy Kleeman and Mitchell Riley play Gilgamesh and the beast Enkidu, joined by Jane Sheldon, Jessica O’Donoghue and Daniel Szesiong Todd.

“A polished, ambitious and high-level production... few productions boast such a powerful combination of Australian creative talent.”

— The Saturday Paper

“Jack Symonds’ brilliant new opera Gilgamesh…succinctly juxtaposes epic themes with more intimate moments, examining the human condition while conveying the apocalyptic, the sensual and intra-personal.”

— Jansson J. Antmann, Limelight

“In director Kip Williams and Set Designer Elizabeth Gadsby’s hands, the epic becomes a fable of bloodlust and redemption played out on a scorched earth of felled trees and eviscerated bodies.”

— Jansson J. Antmann, Limelight

“Modern theatre of tumult and transcendence, rage and tenderness, destruction and creation.”

— Sydney Morning Herald

“An uncompromising night in the theatre.”

— Jeremy Eccles, Bachtrack

“The ancient story that unfolds, so thrillingly over the first half, and in tooth-achingly slow motion in the second, is a curiosity in itself.”

— Diana Simmonds, Stage Noise

“An uplifting, almost transcendental experience, a new opera fully born, thanks to this notable collaboration between Sydney Chamber Opera, Opera Australia and Carriageworks combined with the Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring.”

— Martin Portus, Stage Whispers

REVIEWS

Accessibility Information

Carriageworks: Wheelchair accessible.

Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

Opera Australia, Sydney Chamber Opera and Carriageworks present Gilgamesh, in association with Australian String Quartet and Ensemble Offspring.

NGARRA-BURRIA 2024

Ensemble Offspring — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers 2024 Showcase

Each year, Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers – our award-winning collaborative First Nations artist development program – brings exciting new artistic voices into the spotlight.

DETAILS

Wednesday 30 October 6pm, Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo Centre

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PROGRAM

Musical Acknowledgement of Country

GARY WATTLING Lotte* (2024)

ADAM MANNING Canvas* (2024)

WILL KEPA Ailan Opping (2020)

BRENDA GIFFORD Bardju (Footprints) (2017)

NARDI SIMPSON Of Stars and Birds (2020)

GABRIEL FROMYHR Interwoven Worlds* (2024)

ADAM MANNING Music for Clapsticks and Vibraphone* (2024)

NICOLE SMEDE Djeera Gadhu (Ocean Stories)* (2024)

JAMES HENRY Dreamscapes (2023-24) First Nations Composer in Residence Commission

I. Big Swell

II. Hydrofoil*

III. While I’m Sleeping*

* World Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Lamorna Nightingale (flute)
Ronan Apcar (piano)
Sonya Holowell (voice)
Nicole Smede (voice)

DESCRIPTION

Ngarra-Burria was founded in 2016 by Dharug composer Dr Christopher Sainsbury and Moogahlin Performing Arts, and is currently a partnership between Ensemble Offspring, Australian Music Centre and Yil Lull First Nations Studio at the Australian National University. The program builds bridges for Indigenous musicians to further develop their composition skills and connect with the art music sector.

Guided by lead mentor Dr Christopher Sainsbury and guest mentors, the program supports a cohort of composers to develop and premiere new chamber works for Ensemble Offspring over two years. In 2022 the program received the Classical:Next Innovation Award and in 2023 our ABC Classic album ‘To Listen To Sing’ featuring alumni from the program, was nominated for a Best Classical ARIA Award. Past participants in Ngarra-Burria include James Henry, Nardi Simpson, Brenda Gifford, Eric Avery and Mark ‘Munk’ Ross.

Photography by Oliver Miller

“Too Deadly”

— Limelight

“The bridges it has built between forms, genres, stories and generations are already reshaping the future of Australian music. And we are all the richer for it.”

— ClassikON

“A team of incredible composers, mentors, and Ensemble Offspring’s musical interpreters, coming together to empower First Nations Voices”

— Limelight

“Ensemble Offspring’s program showcased not only the unique styles and arrangements of the compositions, but also gave a sense of the importance of storytelling for First Nations people.”

— Limelight

“While Australia has been debating the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in parliament, a dozen First Nations composers have been given their own voice…”

— Limelight

REVIEWS

ClassikON

Accessibility Information

SUPPORTED BY

Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

FUTURE CLASSICS 2024

Ensemble Offspring — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 13:56:00 +0000

Celebrate the next generation of musical thinkers with world premieres developed through Ensemble Offspring's Hatched Composer Intensive and Hatched Associate Artist residencies.

DETAILS

Saturday 23 November, 6:30pm at the Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House

PROGRAM

COURTNEY COUSINS so let me save you*# (2024)

KIRSTEN MILENKO Hyphae* (2024)

HOLLY HARRISON Swivel & Swerve* (2024)

ALEXANDER MALTAS She loved being loved*# (2024)

KATIA GEHA 600 x 1000*# (2024)

KLEARHOS MURPHY EKKLESIA*# (2024)

* World Premiere
# Commissioned as part of the 2024 Hatched Composer Intensive

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jason Noble (Hatched Academy Director, clarinet/bass clarinet)
Alice Morgan (2024 Hatched Associate Artist, saxophones)
Jack Symonds (piano)

DESCRIPTION

Over the course of the Hatched Composer Intensive, our young artists have worked closely with Ensemble Offspring’s exceptional musicians to bring their compositions to life. With Future Classics, we witness the results of their hard work, passion, and imagination.

In addition to the four Hatched compositions on the program, we are excited to feature Kirsten Milenko’s 2023 Noisy Women Commission, a work from this Paris based Australian that marks the successful completion of this pioneering program. Finally, you will experience a brand new work from Alice Morgan’s chosen composer for her 2024 Associate Artist Commission, Holly Harrison.

All of these compositions are a testament to the boundary-pushing nature of Australian new music, supported by the mentorship and collaboration of Ensemble Offspring’s mentors and musicians throughout the creative journey.

“When it comes to championing new music, Ensemble Offspring walks the walk... In a music industry that can often feel impenetrable — most of all for marginalised voices — Ensemble Offspring’s mission is not just honourable, but essential. In other words, it is not just doing the right thing, it is doing what’s necessary for the survival of new music in Australia.”

— CutCommon

“The Hatched alumni are a who’s who list of successful young Australian artists, many of whom have already made a name for themselves on the international stage. Navigating your way as a young composer specialising in contemporary music is not easy, but Ensemble Offspring’s Hatched Academy program, with its hands-on and focused approach, plays a central role in creating a formidable Australian new music scene.”

— Brett Dean (Hatched Academy Ambassador)

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

AVANT GARDENS I

Ensemble Offspring — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 16:29:00 +0000

Back by popular demand, Avant Gardens presents living music in living spaces. The series pairs genre-bending classics with Australian premieres in stunning ‘house concerts’ throughout Sydney. Enjoy chamber music as intended: up close, in a relaxed atmosphere, and surrounded by friendly faces – your safe space to explore something new.

DETAILS

Saturday 25 February, Tempe, Sydney
Sunday 26 February, Alexandria, Sydney

PROGRAM

DAVID LANG lend/lease (2008)

BRENDA GIFFORD Mungala (Clouds) (2018)

COURTNEY COUSINS Daphne (2023)*

TORU TAKEMITSU Toward the Sea (1981)

FRANK NUYTS Une fille comme Anne (2022)

BEAT FURRER auf tönernen fussen (2001)

JACOB DRUCKMAN Reflections on the Nature of Water (1986)

GEORGE CRUMB Madrigals, Book II (1965)

*World Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Jane Sheldon (soprano)

“Words probably can’t describe adequately just how marvellous it was to enjoy an up-close soiree in the home setting, wrapped in music and art. And it gets even better with a program that is so well considered and delivered.”

— Rebecca Varidel, Sydney Scoop

“The visual, often quite physical performances add a real sense of theatre which is exhilarating to watch. I encourage you to experience Ensemble Offspring’s unique brand of living new music up close for yourself, and don’t forget to stay and chat! ”

— Pepe Newton, ClassikON

REVIEWS

classikON, February 27 2023

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

AVANT GARDENS II

Ensemble Offspring — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 09:32:00 +0000

This is music in its most relaxed and real setting, a chance to meet the musicians in their natural habitat and connect with art music in a relaxed environment. Featuring clarinet, percussion and piano, the program is a mesmerising mix of pieces with jazz and folk influences.

DETAILS

Saturday 25 March, 5pm, Glebe, Sydney
Sunday 26 March, 5pm, Woollahra, Sydney

PROGRAM

SEBASTIáN TOZZOLA Paisaje Folclórico No. 2 (2017)

KAREN TANAKA Techno Etudes (selected movements) (2000)

ALICE CHANCE Mirroring (2021)

SAMANTHA WOLF Bull in a China Shop (2020)

NICOLE MURPHY Dissemble (2020)

JOE CHINDAMO Triangolo di pensieri (2023)*

CHICK COREA Children’s Songs (1983, arr. Edwardes, Noble & Kopp, 2023)

* World Premiere, commissioned by The Silo Collective

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Benjamin Kopp (piano)

DESCRIPTION

Avant Gardens 2 sees performances in Glebe and Woollahra. Grass roots commissioning fund The Silo Collective generously bring us another world premiere, this time from Melbourne’s Joe Chindamo. Also on the program are Karen Tanaka’s thrillingly fast Techno Etudes, Chick Corea’s much loved Children’s Songs, Alice Chance’s contemplative Mirroring and spellbinding works by Ensemble Offspring’s Noisy Women Commission composers Samantha Wolf and Nicole Murphy.

“The program boasted a lineup made up of a majority of female and Australian composers; out of every performance I’ve reviewed so far, only Ensemble Offspring and Backstage Music (a project from EO’s flautist Lamorna Nightingale) have met this bar.”

— Maddy Briggs, Limelight

“...a beautiful showcase of the possibilities of the instrument, especially when in the hands of Jason Noble.”

— Maddy Briggs, Limelight

REVIEWS

Limelight, 28 March, 2023

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

ECHOES & ORBITS

Ensemble Offspring — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 14:39:00 +0000

Echoes and Orbits, performed by percussionist Claire Edwardes, and cellist Blair Harris features an impressive line-up of music from the past few decades and takes listeners into a new stratosphere of sounds.

DETAILS

Wednesday 10 May, Tempo Rubato, Melbourne
Thursday 11 May, Monash University, Melbourne
Friday 12 May, Orange Conservatorium, Orange
Saturday 13 May, Mount Wilson, Blue Mountains

PROGRAM

KATY ABBOTT Re-echo (2015)

STUART GREENBAUM Lunar Orbit (2011)

KATE MOORE Spel (2016)

MARY FINSTERER TIDE (2023)*

MATTHEW SHLOMOWITZ Hi Hat & Me (2010)

MARK SUMMER Julie-O (1988)

BREE VAN REYK Slipstreams (2021)

Christopher Cerrone – The Pleasure at Being the Cause (2021, arr. 2022)*

Gene Koshinski – Get It! (2011)

*World Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Blair Harris (cello)

“Keep listening to new music – especially as played by its most dedicated proponents. The world is a better place when we have time to be immersed in the ethereal.”

— Stuart Greenbaum, CutCommon

“I love Blair Harris and Claire’s take on the work. It’s rich and lush and delicate and moody.”

— Katy Abbott, CutCommon

MEDIA

CutCommon 28 May, 2023

Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

INCREDIBLE FLORIDAS

Ensemble Offspring — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:38:00 +0000

Incredible Floridas is chamber music at its most intense, visceral and radical in the shadowy surrounds of Carriageworks. Directed by Michelle St Anne, this choreographed performance includes two world premieres that pay homage to Richard Meale's complex musical language. A rare and unforgettable experience.

DETAILS

Friday 23 June, Carriageworks, Sydney
Saturday 24 June, Carriageworks, Sydney

PROGRAM

JOSEPHINE MACKEN the imaginary line about which the body rotates (2023)*

MARTIN WESLEY-SMITH For Marimba & Tape (1983)

AUGUSTIN BRAUD Hexis (2023)*

RICHARD MEALE Incredible Floridas (1971)

* World Premiere

PERFORMERS

Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Lamorna Nightingale (flutes)
Véronique Serret (violin, viola)
Benjamin Kopp (piano)
Blair Harris (cello)
Jack Symonds (conductor)

DESCRIPTION

At the centre of this program is Richard Meale’s Incredible Floridas, an homage to the surrealist poetry of Arthur Rimbaud. Fifty years on from its premiere by Fires of London, Ensemble Offspring revives this landmark piece of Australian chamber music in an immersive staging by creative director Michelle St Anne.

Flanking Meale’s masterpiece in the shadowy surrounds of Carriageworks are world premieres from Augustin Braud and Josephine Macken, both of whom draw inspiration from Meale’s brooding and complex musical language. Finally, bridging the period between Meale and Macken is Martin Wesley-Smith’s simply titled For Marimba and Tape.

This performance explores the depths of the human psyche through choreography, set design and music of nuance and virtuosity. A snapshot of Australia’s modern music history, join us for what promises to be a rare and unforgettable experience.

“★★★★ Ensemble Offspring’s performance under conductor Jack Symonds was spiky and seductive, drawing out the piece’s variegated textures over its six movements with reverent care, while emphasising the work’s brittle brilliance.”

— Peter McCallum, Sydney Morning Herald

“Sweetness here, full on aggression there, impassioned beauty and virtuosity thrown off as if it was a mere trifle made this performance both exhilarating and strangely comforting...Every performer was both a soloist and an ensemble member and all were simply perfect.”

— Allan Holley, classikON

“The concert was a magnificent testament to Ensemble Offspring’s mission – to make audiences
aware of the cutting edge of contemporary, especially Australian, music.”

— Nicholas Routley, Australian Stage

“★★★★ The work is a dazzlingly synchronised dance between human and machine and it brought the house down.”

— Steve Moffatt, Limelight

REVIEWS

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Ensemble Offspring is assisted by the NSW Government through Create NSW.