Ensemble Offspring
SEASON 2026
Fresh from celebrating 30 wild years of turning classical music upside down, Ensemble Offspring dives headlong into the next era. With fearless energy and a tradition of championing living composers, our 2026 season brims with bold sounds and unexpected delights. Repetition becomes joyous revelation in the music of Steve Reich and Kate Moore, while our beloved Avant Gardens, Future Classics and Ngarra-Burria (in celebratory Gala form) all return at our characteristic array of venues - from cosy private homes to ACO On the Pier and the iconic Sydney Opera House - with repeat performances in Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane! Our 2026 season features world premieres by Tansy Davies, Nardi Simpson, Jack Symonds, Alex Maltas and Remy le Boeuf, who will write a new work for our 2026 Hatched Emerging Performer, trumpet player Arkie Moore. We invite you to join us for powerful, joyful concerts that celebrate the living art of new music - curated with Ensemble Offspring’s trademark adventurous spirit.
Our 2026 Season
What’s On
FUTURE CLASSICS
22 November, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House
Fresh ideas from the next generation - discover the Future Classics of new Australian art music in this Sydney Opera House showcase.
We’re forging into the future with a tradition of groundbreaking new music. Subscribe and enjoy exclusive benefits at each of our concerts.
Australia’s Musical Trailblazers
Formed in 1995, Sydney-based Ensemble Offspring is “Australia’s leading new music ensemble” (ClassikON)
Led by Claire Edwardes OAM on percussion, the ensemble comprises Lamorna Nightingale (flutes), Jason Noble (clarinets), Véronique Serret (violin) and Blair Harris (cello), with Ronan Apcar (piano) as 2025 Emerging Performer.
EO commissions more brand-new pieces of music than any other Australian group, and champion marginalised voices including female-identifying, emerging, and First Nations artists.
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"This is an ensemble of Australia’s finest musicians performing innovative, relevant and engaging new music that bursts with imagination, energy and inspiration.”
Seesaw Magazine
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“Here is EO at its most adventurous and its strongest, with sharply-refined performing chops to follow through on its ambitious programmatic swing.”
Limelight
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“Ensemble Offspring deserves its reputation…they perform with joy, enthusiasm and great skill.”
ClassikON
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"This program was notable for its energy and variety as much as for its neat new devices."
Sydney Morning Herald
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"...the quiet achiever on the Australian musical landscape… It deserves our strong support."
Sydney Arts Guide
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"Ensemble Offspring's micro-festival was a tribute to the transformative power of living new music, and sent the audience home grinning."
Limelight
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“Claire’s animated introductions…delight the audience, who then sit spellbound…delighted by the virtuosity and the flawless synchronicity.”
ClassikON
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"The experience is totally immersive yet gently, rather than boldly, persuasive."
The Adelaide Advertiser
