AVANT GARDENS SPRING
Drumroll… Spring is coming with a quirky, vibrant program featuring rising star trumpeter Arkie Moore. Listen in, Offspring style, in the Avant Gardens!
DETAILS
Saturday 17 October 5pm, Tempe, SYDNEYSunday 18 October 5pm, Alexandria, SYDNEYSunday 25 October 3pm, Brisbane
PROGRAM
BRYN HARRISON Listenings III (1999)
NARDI SIMPSON Where Water Amplifies*† (2026)
JANE STANLEY Floral Streets*† (2026)
HELEN GRIME Embrace** (2015)
GERARD BROPHY Selected movements from Just outside Van..…† (2020)
REMY LE BOEUF New Work*‡ (2026)
ANDREW CLASSEN Waveland Suite* (2014, arr. 2025)
I. Morning Dew
II. The Sentinels
III. Mulligan
IV. With the Wind
* World Premiere
** Australian Premiere
† Ensemble Offspring Commission
‡ Hatched Emerging Performer Commission
Concert Duration: 70 minutes followed by complimentary drinks and canapes
PERFORMERS
Jason Noble (clarinets)
Arkie Moore (trumpet – Hatched Emerging Performer)
Claire Edwardes (Artistic Director, percussion)
DESCRIPTION
It all begins with a drumroll and Bryn Harrison’s inspired pairing of trumpet and snare drum. Not what you might expect from a concert ‘at home’ but it’s just the first quirky surprise in a program blossoming with the spirit of renewal.
Hatched Emerging Performer Arkie Moore is an exciting young trumpeter with a vast stylistic range that has taken her from the world of symphony orchestras to jazz and brass bands, and into the thickets of new art music. Taking the lead from her love of jazz, we end the program with the Waveland Suite by Andrew Classen, an avid golfer with a sense of humour who brings fresh meaning to the idea of ‘swing’.
Between these bookends are miniatures written especially for Ensemble Offspring. It will be a joy to revisit Gerard Brophy’s Just outside Van..…, with its sensuous evocations of a mediaeval Kurdish fortress and the remnants of an Armenian monastery. Meanwhile, we look forward to new music by Nardi Simpson, inspired by Yuwaalaraay waterways; Jane Stanley’s recollection of a Sydney street, fragrant with jasmine and gardenias; and our Hatched Emerging Performer Commission for 2026, a new work by Californian jazz saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf.
What can you expect from an Avant Gardens concert experience?
These social salon concerts take place in the lovely private homes of generous Ensemble Offspring supporters, so we only share the exact address with concert-goers the week of the event in our pre-concert information email. When you arrive you will be warmly welcomed by the Ensemble Offspring team. Throughout the concert you’ll learn more about the music as the musicians and composers share stories and background on the works. After the concert, we invite you to join the musicians, composers and our wonderful hosts for a chat, a glass or two of wine and a selection of delectables.
“There’s a grace and elegance to [Remy Le Boeuf’s] compositions, which are filled with memorable melodies and solos that climb to joyful heights.”
“... beautifully intimate house concert… accompanied by friends catching up, and discussions of the delightfully eclectic program.”
“[Nardi Simpson’s] -barra was truly a most profoundly beautiful and meaningful experience.”
“There is no doubt Ensemble Offspring’s audience are now eagerly awaiting the next iteration of Avant Gardens.”
DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
Accessibility Information
The Avant Gardens concerts take place in the private homes of some of Ensemble Offspring’s generous supporters. Some homes may have steps, limiting wheelchair access, but ambulant or mobility-restricted attendees can enter with extra time and assistance. If you have accessibility requirements, please reach out to the friendly Ensemble Offspring team by emailing admin@ensembleoffspring.com.
SUPPORTED BY
Ensemble Offspring is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
Thank you to our Avant Gardens hosts for their generous support of Ensemble Offspring.
Photo: Arkie Moore by Keith Saunders
