You might imagine that after 25 years we'd be running short on ideas or energy, but the opposite is true. When we’re not rehearsing, our conversations leap from a performance we heard the night before, to a spark of an idea from a book one of us is reading, to the variations of how we might shape a single phrase. Over time, these exchanges have distilled into the programs you'll read about in this brochure, representing years of dreaming and planning. They highlight one of our superpowers: the art of innovation.

As musicians and creatives, we aim for more than playing in tune and in time (though those remain high on our to-do list). Across countless lunchtime, interval, and touring-road-trip conversations, we’ve realised that cultural understanding and exchange come naturally to us. Deciphering Beethoven, Ravel, or Sibelius is as much about culture and history as it is about harmony and melody, so arriving at one of our biggest projects yet - a 30-minute through-composed collaboration with Eric Avery - felt entirely organic.

We are immensely proud of what this season represents. While the great masters will always form the heart of our work (we couldn’t imagine life without Beethoven!), we’re also crafting a future that opens doors, creating an ecosystem where string quartets can truly thrive.

2026 is just the beginning.

Liz, Wilma, Helen and Zoe

Cnr Southbank Boulevard & Sturt Street, Wurundjeri Country/Southbank

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

Three Concert Subscription Package: Standard $138 / Concession $111

Single Tickets: Standard $55 / Concession $45

TUESDAY 31 MARCH, 7PM

MONDAY 18 MAY, 7PM

WEDNESDAY 9 SEPT, 7PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

7 Hillcrest Avenue, Wurundjeri-Willam Country/Eltham

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

Three Concert Subscription Package: Standard $126 / Concession $99

Single Tickets: Standard $50 / Concession $40

SUNDAY 29 MARCH, 2.30PM

SUNDAY 17 MAY, 2.30PM

SUNDAY 6 SEPT, 2.30PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

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 26 MARCH, 1PM

THURSDAY 14 MAY, 1PM

TUESDAY 8 SEPT, 1PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

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

Single Tickets: $35

SATURDAY 28 MARCH, 2.30PM

(transaction & delivery fees may apply)

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet No.4 in C minor, Op.18 No.4 

OLLI MUSTONEN String Quartet No.2 ^* 

JEAN SIBELIUS String Quartet in D minor, Op.56 Voces Intimae ^

HOLLY HARRISON Swoop ^

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

* Australian premiere, commissioned by the Stift Festival and Daniel Rowland and Flinders Quartet, supported by Ulrike Klein AO

ST JOHNS SOUTHGATE • THURSDAY 26 MARCH, 1PM
(approx 60 min performance, plus post-concert Q&A)

GEELONG CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY • FRIDAY 27 MARCH, 7.30PM BOOKINGS
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

ST JOHN’S CHURCH, FLINDERS • SATURDAY 28 MARCH, 2.30PM
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

MONTSALVAT BARN GALLERY • SUNDAY 29 MARCH, 2.30PM
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

PRIMROSE POTTER SALON • TUESDAY 31 MARCH, 7PM
(approx 120 min performance, including interval)

Visit FQ Digital to relive the works in this concert program, as well as bonus FQ Discover videos.

“Beethoven, Mustonen, Harrison and Sibelius — they may seem like chalk and cheese but I think this program’s a real winner! An eclectic and complementary mix of the highest quality from Beethoven to literally now will reward us all. I have a personal reason for wanting to play each of these pieces. After nearly a lifetime of playing quartets, I still haven’t played all of the Beethovens! Op.18 No.4 is on my never-played list so this performance will be a personal premiere.

I admired at close quarters the original thought, brilliant execution, and warmth of Olli Mustonen during his several visits to the MSO as piano soloist and also conductor of his own music. It’s a great honour for us to be co-commissioners of a new string quartet by him, thanks to the generosity of Ulrike Kleine AO, Daniel Rowland and the Stift Festival in The Netherlands, and to give its first Australian performance.

The beautiful work by Olli’s famous compatriot, Sibelius, first crossed my path when I played quartets with a Finnish violinist and since then, several wonderful collaborations with other Finnish musicians have whetted my appetite for returning to Voces Intimae with even more appreciation of that Finnish X-factor.

The Aussie voice in this program belongs to the irrepressible Holly Harrison whose rhythm and flair caught my attention years ago when I was looking for someone to write the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition string quartet test piece. Holly gave us a dazzlingly original and virtuosic work that all the quartets loved playing and I’m looking forward to playing another piece of hers myself.”

WILMA SMITH, VIOLIN

NICOLE BRADY Ricochet * 

MAURICE RAVEL String Quartet in F major ^

ERIC AVERY Wirringintungiyil ^**

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

* Commissioned by Flinders Quartet as part of Ascend 2024

** World premiere

ST JOHNS SOUTHGATE • THURSDAY 14 MAY, 1PM  (approx 60 min performance)

MONTSALVAT BARN GALLERY • SUNDAY 17 MAY, 2.30PM (approx 120 min performance including interval)

PRIMROSE POTTER SALON • MONDAY 18 MAY, 7PM (approx 120 min performance including interval)

Visit FQ Digital to relive the works in this concert program, as well as bonus FQ Discover videos.

“One of the greatest joys of playing in a string quartet is the nurturing of connection — between each other, with our audiences and within the wider community. In 2026, we are both honoured and thrilled to be collaborating for the very first time with Ngiyampaa, Yuin, Bundjalung and Gumbaynggir artist Eric Avery, exploring our connection with nature and the environment.

Drawing on his family’s custodial songs, Eric continues a time-honoured legacy of storytelling through both music and dance. When we first heard Eric perform, we were profoundly moved by the soulful nature of his musical voice. His performances often combine his violin playing with singing in the Ngiyampaa language, forging a powerful link between his cultural heritage and his audience. Although we don’t yet know how the new work will sound, Eric’s artistry speaks from the heart, illuminating the transformative and healing power of music. With collaboration at the very heart of the Flinders’ identity, we approach this journey with Eric with the utmost respect and joy.

Connections of a different kind are explored by one of our Ascend program’s participants Nicole Brady in her debut string quartet Ricochet. Nicole brings an intelligent perspective to her compositional work having worked at the intersection of design, music and new technology. Exploring how to bring her unique vision to life within the language of the string quartet was a rich and creative process, and we are excited to now share Ricochet with our audience. The chance to perform Ravel’s iconic 1903 string quartet - a work that directly inspired Ricochet - alongside Nicole’s work was just too tempting to resist!”

ELIZABETH SELLARS, VIOLIN

“Together with my friends from Flinders Quartet, I will be creating a through-composed journey with song, dance, rhythm, melody and harmony as we build a work reflecting a yearning for environmental protection, LGBTQI resilience and new ways of listening.

The Ravel String Quartet creates an illusion of stretching time. I have always been inspired by Ravel’s use of texture and tempo to create a tension and release in the music, creating various illusions of space and time changing and melding. In the Australian desert at night, we see the sky as a giant dome and the land as a vast, expansive space that echoes through time with the music illustrated in the songs of the ancient Ngiyampaa people. It is through the techniques of composition from Ravel and my ancestors that we can glimpse what movement emanates across different styles and forms illustrating different ideas of flow and musical tension and release.”

ERIC AVERY, COMPOSER AND PERFORMER

NAOMI DODD New Work ^*

GRAZYNA BACEWICZ String Quartet No.3  

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet No.12 in E-flat major, Op.127 ^

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

* World premiere, commissioned by Flinders Quartet with support from Anthony Adair and Karen McLeod Adair

MONTSALVAT BARN GALLERY • SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER, 2.30PM (approx 120 min performance including interval)

ST JOHNS SOUTHGATE • TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER, 1PM (approx 60 min performance)

PRIMROSE POTTER SALON • WEDNESDAY 9 SEPTEMBER, 7PM (approx 120 min performance including interval)

Visit FQ Digital to relive the works in this concert program, as well as bonus FQ Discover videos.

“After more than half a lifetime playing string quartets, I know I will still get tingles down my spine when we set about rehearsing Beethoven’s Opus 127 next year. I personally love playing in E-flat major because it is such a warm and rich key on string instruments. It is a powerful and profound work, full of emotion and contrast and oh — that opening! These majestic chords mark the beginning of the first of his late quartets which are so innovative and unique, each one a journey in itself.

We are so excited to build on our relationship with Grażyna Bacewicz through her Quartet No.3 after falling in love with her piano quintet when we played it in 2025 with Paavali Jumppanen. The four of us loved her dynamic and intelligent writing that is both original and approachable and hope that by continuing to shine a light on Bacewicz, her music will gain your love and admiration.

From here in Australia, Emerge 2025 composer Naomi Dodd contributes a brand-new commission, bringing a fresh voice and “New Light” to the program. It was a privilege to meet Naomi recently. I was really impressed by her obvious musical intelligence and very natural affinity with writing for string quartets. We continue to prioritise providing pathways for new compositional voices and we're really proud of that!”

HELEN IRELAND, VIOLA