We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Sellars (Liz) to our First Violin chair from 2024. We all have long-standing connections with Liz: she and Wilma met in 1985 at the Portsmouth International String Quartet Competition, and Zoe and Helen have known her for decades too. After admiring her playing and consummate musicianship for so long, we are ecstatic that the stars have aligned to bring us together. For Liz, playing in a quartet was a defining feature of her early career in Melbourne and London so joining Flinders Quartet is like coming home. In addition to her compelling presence as a violinist and the galvanising warmth of her sound, Liz brings a wealth of pedagogical expertise and vision, and shares our love of fostering vibrant artistic communities.

Flinders Quartet is immensely proud of our new music commissions. Over seventy quartets have been premiered by the quartet in our 23-year history. Many of these are available in our library of filmed performances and studio recordings through FQ Digital and other streaming services.

We invite you to experience the wonder of the string quartet in our specially curated 2024 season. Experience the joy of this glorious art form as we perform some of the greatest music on earth. 

Liz, Wilma, Helen and Zoe

MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE • PRIMROSE POTTER SALON
Cnr Southbank Boulevard & Sturt Street, Wurundjeri Country/Southbank

Bookings: Melbourne Recital Centre (03) 9699 3333 melbournerecital.com.au

Three Concert Subscription Package: Standard $111 / Concession $87

Single Tickets: Standard $45 / Concession $35

MONDAY 25 MARCH, 7PM

MONDAY 12 AUGUST, 7PM

WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER, 7PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

MONTSALVAT
7 Hillcrest Avenue, Wurundjeri-Willam Country/Eltham

Bookings: Melbourne Recital Centre (03) 9699 3333 melbournerecital.com.au

Three Concert Subscription Package: Standard $111 / Concession $87

Single Tickets: Standard $45 / Concession $35

SUNDAY 24 MARCH, 2.30PM

SUNDAY 11 AUGUST, 2.30PM

SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER, 2.30PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

ST JOHN’S CHURCH
King Street, Bunurong Country/Flinders (Mornington Peninsula)

Bookings: flindersquartet.com/tickets or phone Wendy Avilov 0417 798 523 between the hours of 10am & 2pm, Monday to Friday

Two Concert Subscription Package: $60

Single Tickets: $35

SATURDAY 23 MARCH, 2.30PM

SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER, 2.30PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

ST JOHNS SOUTHGATE
20 City Road, Wurundjeri Country/Southbank (Melbourne)

Bookings: flindersquartet.com/tickets or phone Wendy Avilov 0417 798 523 between the hours of 10am & 2pm, Monday to Friday

Three Concert Subscription Package: Standard $90 / Concession $75

Single Tickets: Standard $35 / Concession $30

THURSDAY 21 MARCH, 1PM

WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST, 1PM

TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER, 1PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K. 465 ‘Dissonance’ ^
GORDON KERRY String Quartet No. 6 * ^
ETHEL SMYTH String Quartet in C minor

* Commissioned by Flinders Quartet with support from Siobhan Lenihan, for Dolores and Denis Lenihan

^ These works comprise the St Johns Southgate and Castlemaine 60 min concert program

ST JOHNS SOUTHGATE • THURSDAY 21 MARCH, 1PM
(approx 60 min performance, plus post-concert Q&A)

CASTLEMAINE ART MUSEUM • FRIDAY 22 MARCH, 7.30PM SOLD OUT
(approx 60 min performance)

ST JOHN’S CHURCH, FLINDERS • SATURDAY 23 MARCH, 2.30PM
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

MONTSALVAT BARN GALLERY • SUNDAY 24 MARCH, 2.30PM TICKETS AT THE DOOR
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

PRIMROSE POTTER SALON • MONDAY 25 MARCH, 7PM BOOKINGS
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

Visit FQ Digital to relive the works in this concert program, on demand viewing from Monday 8 April.

“Why do some string quartets become favourites? I know that I love Mozart’s Dissonance Quartet for its daring harmony that broke all the rules, as well as its soaring melodies and sense of humour! Mozart’s brilliant ability to bring the past back to the future is shared by one of my favourite Australian composers, Gordon Kerry, whose new string quartet derives a magical new world of gorgeous timbres and driving rhythms from ancient plainchant. I am in awe of Ethel Smyth who inspired a generation of suffragettes while creating music of epic vision. Her C minor string quartet combines a deeply intelligent compositional craft and sophisticated lyricism”

ELIZABETH SELLARS, VIOLIN

GORDON KERRY • Composer

Gordon Kerry’s chamber music, commissioned by individual ensembles as well as organisations like Musica Viva Australia and Wigmore Hall, has been performed widely in Australia and abroad. He has written numerous concertos and symphonic works for orchestras in Australia and Europe, and has a large catalogue of vocal and instrumental music, as well as choral works for concert and liturgical performance. Works for the stage include four operas, and he is committed to working with musicians in his local community of northeastern Victoria and southern NSW.

He is also an author, notably of the book New Classical Music: Composing Australia.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet No.6, Op.18, No.6 ^
CAROLINE SHAW “Blueprint”
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet No.16 in F major, Op.135 ^

^ These works comprise the St Johns Southgate 60 min concert program

ST JOHNS SOUTHGATE • WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST, 1PM BOOKINGS
(approx 60 min performance, plus post-concert Q&A)

MONTSALVAT BARN GALLERY • SUNDAY 11 AUGUST, 2.30PM BOOKINGS
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

PRIMROSE POTTER SALON • MONDAY 12 AUGUST, 7PM BOOKINGS
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

Also touring to regional Victoria - check back on this page (or our What’s On) for details and to find program notes and other content.

Visit FQ Digital to relive the works in this concert program, on demand viewing from Monday 26 August.

“The more I play Beethoven, especially his symphonies and string quartets, the affinity as a teenager I felt for him as the unruly rebel in an old picture on my bedroom wall becomes an affinity with his uncompromising nature and the complete humanity of his composition. It’s always a special thrill to play a program containing a Beethoven quartet and it will be twice the thrill to play this program containing two! Opus 135, his last quartet, is especially close to my heart, not only because it was a very useful competition piece in my youth but especially because of the crazily whacky Scherzo movement with rhythmic tricks galore, not to mention 1st violin acrobatics in the Trio, followed by the devastatingly touching slow movement in the unexpected, warm key of D flat major. It’s often said that this last quartet was the beginning of a new period for Beethoven but we’ll never know for sure. It certainly is quite different from the “late” quartets that preceded it. To begin the concert, Beethoven’s joyous and playful Opus 18 No. 6 quartet is paired with a harmonic distillation of and homage to it by the currently very popular American composer, Caroline Shaw.”

WILMA SMITH, VIOLIN

FELIX MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 6 in F minor Op. 80 ^ together with other music by Felix Mendelssohn^, Fanny Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven, and incidental music by Bryony Marks^

Dramaturg/director: Richard Piper

^ These works comprise the St Johns Southgate 60 min concert program

ST JOHN’S CHURCH, FLINDERS • SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER, 2.30PM BOOKINGS
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

MONTSALVAT BARN GALLERY • SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER, 2.30PM BOOKINGS
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

ST JOHNS SOUTHGATE • TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER, 1PM BOOKINGS
(approx 60 min performance, plus post-concert Q&A)

PRIMROSE POTTER SALON • WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER, 7PM BOOKINGS
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

Also touring to Sydney and regional Victoria - check back on this page (or our What’s On) for details and to find program notes and other content.

Visit FQ Digital to relive the works in this concert program, on demand viewing from Wednesday 13 November.

“Ever since we performed Fanny Mendelssohn’s string quartet in 2021 and learned of her letters to her brother, Felix, we knew there was the nucleus of an idea that could help illuminate Felix and Fanny’s world for us today. Given Felix’s very successful and much loved incidental music for the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we thought it would be apt to commission our own incidental music for this project. Bryony Marks is the perfect conduit for connecting these characters and the music that defines them.

Felix Mendelssohn was heavily influenced by Beethoven’s string quartets, becoming infatuated with Op. 132 and copying it out note by note in his journal. Like Beethoven, Mendelssohn’s string quartets track his life - from the optimism of his first string quartet, Op. 12, to the tragedy of last, Op. 80, which was written in response to the death of Fanny. Both composers penned their final notes in their string quartets.

Our adventures with Richard Piper are always insightful, and we love to be gently taken out of our comfort zone with his innate musicianship and theatrical sensitivity.”

ZOE KNIGHTON, CELLO

BRYONY MARKS • Composer

Bryony Marks is one of Australia’s most sought-after screen composers. She brings classical rigour and an insider’s perspective to her compositions.

She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English and Fine Art. She then completed a Graduate Diploma in Music Composition for Film and Television with First Class Honours from the University of Melbourne’s Conservatorium of Music, following which she attended the inaugural Composers’ Program at the Australian National Academy of Music.

Bryony composes in other disciplines beyond film and TV. Most recently, her duet for violin and piano, Lockdown Birdsong, was performed at the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall in March 2021. She has also collaborated with Alice Topp ⎯ resident choreographer at The Australian Ballet ⎯ on two productions: Patina and Annealing, which both premiered in 2022.

Bryony’s score for Lambs of God was awarded ‘Best Original Score in Television’ and her music for 2040 ‘Best Original Score in a Documentary’ at the 2019 AACTA Awards. Her score for Savage River was awarded ‘Best Original Score in Television’ at the 2022 AACTA Awards.