Program

A thought-provoking program inspired by the idea of ‘time’…how it plays out in music and our perception of its unfolding in our lives. The program showcases Olivier Messiaen’s transcendent work Quartet for the End of Time, composed and premiered in a WWII German POW camp, a side-by-side pairing of string quartets by Joseph Haydn and Caroline Shaw that explores ideas of nostalgia and transition, Arvo Pärt’s haunting, bell-like work Fratres, a rollicking contemporary work by Alex Turley, plus a kaleidoscopic duo by Australia’s beloved composer Miriam Hyde, featuring our guest artist Ieva Jokubavičiute with 2026 piano Fellow, Reuben Johnson.

• Alex Turley – Zero Sum Game, for clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano
• Arvo Pärt – Fratres, for violin, piano
• Jessica Meyer – I Only Speak of the Sun, for violin, viola, cello, based on a poem by Rumi
• Miriam Hyde – Toccata for Two, for piano four hands
• Joseph Haydn – Op. 77, No. 2, for string quartet (excerpt)
• Caroline Shaw – Entr’acte, for string quartet
• Olivier Messiaen – Quartet for the End of Time, for clarinet, violin, cello, piano

Don’t miss our show preview at the Megalong Makers Market at 11am!

Program

Join us to explore eclectic music inspired by global folk traditions. Our program centers around Stravinsky’s landmark work, The Soldier’s Tale, performed at the festival in its trio version with Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Clarinetist, Frank Celata. Created during WWI, this dark Faustian Russian folk tale follows the adventures of a soldier who is tempted by the glitzy promises of a shady character who convinces him that he wants it all. In other works, we travel through the Andes on an imagined pre-colonial walkabout, navigate a mix of cultures in American Haiku, dance along to a fiery Klezmer tune, discover an opera-flavoured Italian duet, and enjoy gorgeous mystical folk tunes from Armenia, Andalusia, Eastern Europe and a Korean grandmother’s work song. Come along for the wild ride!

• Aram Khatchaturian – Trio, for violin, clarinet and piano
• Gioachino Rossini – Duet, for cello and double bass (excerpt), featuring two talented young local artists
• Paul Wiancko – American Haiku, for viola & cello
• Gabriela Lena Frank – Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for string quartet (excerpt)
• Igor Stravinsky – L’Histoire du Soldat (“The Soldier’s Tale”), for violin, clarinet and piano
• Ljova – Budget Bulgar for string quartet
• Jungyoon Wie – Songs of My Grandmother for clarinet, violin, cello, piano (excerpt)
• Joaquin Turina – Escena Andaluza sextet Op. 7, for viola, string quartet and piano
• Dohnanyi – Piano Quintet No. 1, for piano, 2 violins, viola, cello