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 and Grammy Award winning composer 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.