SYDNEY, Australia — Australia Ensemble UNSW is proud to reveal its 2025 season

…continuing its tradition of delivering powerful, evocative performances in Sydney. From timeless classics to newly commissioned works, the 2025 season offers an exciting variety of chamber music that will captivate audiences and highlight the Ensemble’s commitment to artistic excellence and innovation.

In 2025, Australia Ensemble UNSW will bring to life the emotional depth of Messiaen, the intricate storytelling of Schumann, the sublime lyricism of Brahms, and the breathtaking originality of contemporary Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth. The season includes four enthralling concerts featuring key members of the Ensemble and distinguished guest artists from across Australia.

Program 1: Saturday, 22 March 2025

The season opens with a program of French masterpieces composed during a pivotal period in music history. Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, a work born from the composer’s experience as a prisoner of war, reflects themes of apocalypse and transcendence. Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Trio, with its soaring lyricism and delicate harmonies, will be performed with clarinet, honouring the composer’s original vision. Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello rounds out the program with its remarkable economy and tensile energy.

Guest Artist: Andrea Lam, piano

Program 2: Saturday, 24 May 2025

This program weaves together fairy tales, unrequited love, and jazz, showcasing chamber music’s ability to cross boundaries. Robert Schumann’s Fairy Tales invites listeners into a world of musical miniatures, while Johannes Brahms’ Piano Trio explores the composer’s deep emotions for Clara Schumann. Ukrainian-born Nikolai Kapustin’s jazz-infused Second Cello Sonata and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Six Studies in English Folksong provide further contrast and energy.

Guest Artists: Christopher Moore, viola; Konstantin Shamray, piano.

Program 3: Saturday, 30 August 2025  

Acclaimed guest artists join the Ensemble to explore music inspired by nature and the human condition. Anton Arensky’s Piano Trio mourns the loss of a cellist through lyrical melodies, Gerald Finzi’s Five Bagatelles evoke nostalgia, Maria Grenfell’s Poems of Bright Moon reflect on natural beauty, and George Crumb’s Vox Balaenae brings the sound of the sea and whale songs to life.

Guest Artists: Beatrice Colombis, violin; Tobias Breider, viola; David Fung, piano.

Program 4: Saturday, 25 October 2025  

The season finale offers a joyful celebration of chamber music. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Clarinet Trio is as witty as it is profound, while Clara Schumann’s Romances highlight the composer’s delicate and expressive style. Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade Op. 44, performed in collaboration with guest artists from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, closes the season with joyful Czech folk melodies. This concert will also feature the premiere of a new work by acclaimed Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth.

Guest Artists: Timothy Young, piano; Carla Blackwood, horn; Andrew Barnes, bassoon; Huw Jones, oboe; Andrew Meisel, double bass; in collaboration with the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

Tickets for the October subscription concert can be purchased via the website: ae.unsw.edu.au or by phoning 02 9385 4874.

Photo credit: Keith Saunders