ELISION Ensemble has announced its 2026 season, marking a monumental 40 years at the forefront of contemporary Australian music.

The Melbourne-based new music pioneer, led by Artistic Director Daryl Buckley, celebrates the occasion with a stacked calendar that includes an international tour, a collection of world-premiere works and a landmark Sydney restaging of a 30-year-old opera by frequent ELISION collaborator and Australian compositional luminary Liza Lim.

ELISION Ensemble. Photo supplied

ELISION kicks off the celebrations with The Big Birthday Tour, taking three different programs to Melbourne Recital Centre, Sydney’s Phoenix Central Park and Perth’s Callaway Music Auditorium (20–24 February).

The Melbourne performance features world premieres from rising Australian composer Victor Arul, Liza Lim and Icelandic composer Einar Torfi Einarsson, while the Sydney and Perth performances include works by American composers and ELISION associates Aaron Cassidy and Evan Johnson, as well as Lim.

In April, the ensemble is Europe-bound for a tour across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden (the latter, for the first time). With an apperance at the Klangbrücken Festival and a performance...