Blurring the boundaries between classical and contemporary, the Melbourne-based Flinders Quartet’s new season distils “years of dreaming and dialogue between music and musicians, culture and place, past and future.”

It brings together Beethoven and Ravel alongside living Australian composers, with a landmark collaboration with Ngiyampaa, Yuin, Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr artist Eric Avery at its centre.

The first program, From Silence and Snow (March 2026), pairs Beethoven’s fiery String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18 No. 4 with Sibelius’s Voces Intimae and Holly Harrison’s rhythmically inventive Swoop. The program also includes the Australian premiere of Olli Mustonen’s String Quartet No. 2 – a vibrant meeting of voices across time and place.

“I have a personal reason for wanting to play each of these pieces,” says FQ violinist Wilma Smith. “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.”

Performances will take place at St Johns Southgate, Melbourne (26...