A rare chance to witness five premier musicians with an affinity for playing together unite here in Hobart to bring you some of the most touching chamber music ever written. This passionate group of friends possess a special chemistry in collaboration, despite hailing from all across the country.

Ike See is violinist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra having previously held the position of Associate Concertmaster with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Caroline Hopson is a regular guest with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra. Stefanie Farrands is Principal Viola of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, having previously held the position of Principal Viola with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Michael Dahlenburg joined the Australian String Quartet in 2021 and was previously Principal Cello with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra. Andrea Lam is an internationally recognised soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, who has performed with all of Australia’s major orchestras. 

This is a program full of warmth, colour, exuberance and sparkle.  It opens with Mozart’s glorious piano quartet K.493, the second of two piano quartets that surpass his own high level of creativity with a profusion of lyrical themes that expand and proliferate at leisure. 

Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte is a single movement work for string quartet written in the form of a Minuet and Trio and is a deeply powerful work that transports the listener to a world of flowing imagination. In the piece’s notes, Shaw writes, "I love the way some music suddenly takes you to the other side of Alice’s looking glass, in a kind of absurd, subtle, technicolor transition." 

Closing the program is one of the most loved works of all time: Robert Schumann’s spectacular Piano Quintet, which was dedicated to his wife, Clara Schumann.

Ike See: Violin 
Caroline Hopson: Violin 
Stefanie Farrands: Viola 
Miachael Dahlenburg: Cello 
Andrea Lam: Piano

Image Credit: Karen Steains, Sharon Gertner, Morgan Roberts