Welcome to the Australia Ensemble’s 2026 season – a year brimming with musical delights, deep explorations, and a few surprises along the way. Our four-concert series offers an exhilarating mix of beloved masterpieces, fresh discoveries, and the artistry of some of Australia’s finest musicians. 

We are especially thrilled to welcome the world-renowned pianist Piers Lane in our final program of the year. Alongside a bracket of solo piano works, Piers will join the ensemble for Ravel’s radiant Piano Trio. A five-time soloist at the BBC Proms, Piers is internationally celebrated for his concerto performances and acclaimed chamber music recordings – his appearance with us promises to be a true highlight. 

The line-up of pianists throughout the season is equally stellar. We are delighted to welcome back Andrea Lam, familiar to many through her appearances on ABC TV’s The Piano; Melbourne’s brilliant Timothy Young; and, in his first appearance with the ensemble, Brisbane-based Daniel de Borah. Our guest artists also include violinist Natalie Chee, and leading wind players Joshua Batty (flute), Shefali Pryor (oboe), and bassoon virtuoso Andrew Barnes. 
The season opens with a theatrical flourish: a compact, dramatic staging of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale. This war-time classic fuses classical forms with jazz, ragtime, and folk idioms, its eclectic character mirrored in a program that also features music by Shostakovich and Uzbekistan-born Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin. 

As is our tradition, the great pillars of the chamber repertoire also take centre stage. Concert 2 pairs Beethoven’s Archduke Trio, one of the towering achievements of chamber music, with Brahms’ Clarinet Trio, a work suffused with autumnal warmth and late-Romantic depth. Lovers of French music will find much to savour later in the season, with works by Poulenc, Fauré, and Ravel, alongside Debussy’s Cello Sonata and the witty, festive Dixtuor by Jean Françaix. 

Contemporary voices provide vibrant contrast and colour. Music for winds by Valerie Coleman and Harry Sdraulig adds energy and sparkle, while Peteris Vasks’ Lonely Angel offers a moving meditation of quiet intensity. We are proud to present the world premiere of Alex Turley’s Syntax Error, a playful and inventive work developed through the Ensemble’s Layton Emerging Composer Fellowship – a program established by the late Professor Roger Layton to champion the next generation of composers. 

This is a season of heart, contrast, and discovery. We invite you to join us in the Sir John Clancy Auditorium at UNSW for performances that celebrate the very best of chamber music in Australia today.

Paul Stanhope, Artistic Chair