Here’s your chance to get out of the concert hall and into the fresh air.

In 2023, Ensemble Offspring’s Avant Gardens series offers two distinctive programs presented in the homes and backyards of their trusty supporters. Hear every breath and feel every beat in this intimate musical exchange. You might also hear rustling leaves, the odd birdcall and other neighbourhood sounds, but it all adds to the atmosphere.

This is music in its most relaxed and real setting. On the return of the series, Artistic Director Claire Edwardes says “There’s a reason Avant Gardens is returning for its third season. In the past we’ve had numerous stand out moments – not least the sell-out audiences who are genuinely, deeply engaged with the huge range of living new chamber music we perform at these concerts. It’s also a chance to meet the musicians in their natural habitat and connect with art music in a relaxed environment – our audiences have always acknowledged that it’s pretty special being invited into these gardens. We provide drinks and nibbles too, so it’s essentially a social event built around the performance. If you like what Ensemble Offspring does, you won’t want to miss it.”

Experience Ensemble Offspring’s unique brand of living new music up close at an Avant Gardens concert near you. Event locations will be disclosed to ticket holders prior to performance dates.

Avant Gardens 2 sees performances in Glebe and Woollahra. Featuring clarinet, percussion and piano, the program is a mesmerising mix of pieces with jazz and folk influences. 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.

PERFORMERS

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

PROGRAM

Sebastián Tozzola – Paisaje Folclórico No. 2 (2017) – clarinet, piano

Karen Tanaka – Techno Etudes (selected movements) (2000) – piano

Alice Chance – Mirroring (2021) – vibraphone

Samantha Wolf – Bull in a China Shop (2020) – percussion, piano

Nicole Murphy – Dissemble (2020) – clarinet, percussion

Joe Chindamo – new work (2023, commissioned by The Silo Collective) – clarinet, piano, percussion  (World Premiere)

Chick Corea – Children’s Songs (1983, arr. Edwardes, Noble & Kopp, 2023) – clarinet, piano, percussion