Ensemble Q & William Barton

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A kaleidoscope of sound 

Old meets new and new meets old when a crack team of classical virtuosos team up with the boundless sonic imagination of William Barton to explore Brahms, Ligeti and more. Wrap yourself in a kaleidoscope of sound with Ensemble Q. 

2024 Concert Season

What are the sonic possibilities when the oldest wind instrument in the world – the didgeridoo – teams up with instruments that found their final form only two centuries ago? And who better to explore them than distinguished artist and composer William Barton?

Ensemble Q is a group powered by the passion and fizz of curiosity and underpinned by the virtuosic integrity of some of Australia’s finest musicians. It might just be the perfect playground for making music. Their ear-catching program includes works by William Barton and Paul Dean alongside hand-picked masterpieces by Brahms and Ligeti, which promise to wrap audiences in a multi-faceted kaleidoscope of sound.

"The possibilities are extraordinary. [William Barton] is a great man. He radiates. "

— Sir Simon Rattle

"[Ensemble Q was] quite possibly the best performance I’ve seen all year and an astonishing feat of music-making...Frankly, this was a jaw-dropping performance."

— Limelight 

ALISON MITCHELL flute
HUW JONES oboe
PAUL DEAN co-artistic director and clarinet
DAVID MITCHELL bassoon
PETER LUFF horn
TRISH DEAN co-artistic director and cello
PHOEBE RUSSELL double bass
WILLIAM BARTON didgeridoo /composer

WILLIAM BARTON New work (2024)*
BRAHMS Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38 (arr. Breuer)
LIGETI Six Bagatelles
PAUL DEAN Concerto for Cello and Wind Quintet

*World premiere performances. Commissioned by Musica Viva Australia with the support of the Hon Anthe Philippides SC.

Alison Mitchell, Huw Jones, David Mitchell, and Phoebe Russell appear courtesy of Queensland, Symphony Orchestra

William Barton

For two decades, William Barton has forged a peerless profile as a performer and composer in the classical music world, from working with the Philharmonic Orchestras of London and Berlin to appearances at historic events at Westminster Abbey for Commonwealth Day 2019, to Anzac Cove and the Beijing Olympics.

His awards include Winner of Best Original Score for a Mainstage Production at the 2018 Sydney Theatre Awards and Winner of ARIA Best Classical Album for Kalkadungu in 2012. With his prodigious musicality and the quiet conviction of his Kalkadunga heritage, he has vastly expanded the horizons of the didgeridoo – and the culture and landscape that it represents.

Commissioned by Musica Viva Australia with the support of the Hon Anthe Philippides SC, William Barton will be premiering his work with Ensemble Q on our national tour.

With special thanks to Ensemble Patrons Ian and Caroline Frazer for their support of this tour.

Event and Ticketing Details

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Dates & Times

Adelaide	3 October 7:30pm
Brisbane	12 October 7pm
Canberra	5 October 7pm
Melbourne	8 October 7pm
Newcastle	10 October 7:30pm
Perth	30 September 7:30pm
Sydney	7 October 7pm