This October Australia’s champions of innovative new music, Sydney based Ensemble Offspring presents FUTURE RETRO – a concert in celebration of the group’s 20th anniversary at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
A two-part concert, this will be both a celebration reflecting on the past 20 years of Ensemble Offspring’s most memorable performances and a special glimpse into the vibrant future of Australian music.
Entitled FUTURE, part one of the concert celebrates the very best in Australia’s emerging musical talent, and will feature five world premieres from composers Tristan Coelho, Kate Moore, Cassie To and Kezia Yap. In addition, the concert includes new works from composers Samuel Smith and Dan Thorpe from the Ensemble’s new mentoring program, Hatched Academy.
Part two, entitled RETRO, will be a diverse homage to the group’s 20-year history of life-changing music. Works include the funky sonic ping-pong of Dutch composer Louis Andriessen’s Hoketus, the exhilarating virtuosity of French composer Gerard Grisey’s Talea and a creative remake of the masterful textures of Hungarian György Ligeti in Beyond Atmospheres.
“If renowned pianist Roger Woodward hadn’t taken a punt on a couple of young composers 20 years ago for the 1995 Sydney Spring Festival, Ensemble Offspring would not exist today,” says Co-founder and co-artistic director Damien Ricketson. “It is fitting that our anniversary event should do the same, passing on the musical baton to a new generation of talented young Australian artists.”
Ensemble Offspring is a dynamic Sydney-based organisation dedicated to innovative new music. Driven by open-mindedness, Ensemble Offspring promotes diverse and emerging music practices that expose audiences to new ways of experiencing sound.
The group embraces a broad and adventurous repertoire from seminal chamber works of the past 50 years, to free improvisation and the creation of striking interdisciplinary productions. Often cited as Australia’s most influential force in new music today, the Ensemble has premiered more than 100 new works and presents an annual program of over 30 concerts a year.
Offering fresh and edgy new ways of experiencing sound, FUTURE RETRO is a brilliant look towards the future of music in our country and a musical celebration not to be missed this October!
FUTURE RETRO
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Conservatorium Road, Sydney
Performances: Sunday 25 October 2015 – 3.00pm & 6.00pm
Bookings: www.stickytickets.com.au
For more information, visit: www.ensembleoffspring.com for details.
Image: Ensemble Offspring – photo by Heidrun Lohr