A Sydney Opera House debut is always a significant occasion, especially when it is for an ensemble of young musicians who are already making waves around the country.

The Alma Moodie Quartet was co-founded two years ago by violinists Kristian Winther and Anna Da Silva Chen and was named after a much acclaimed but now sadly neglected Queensland violin virtuoso who died during World War II.

Canberra-born Winther has appeared regularly both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, notably for Musica Viva with the Signum Saxophone Quartet playing Kurt Weill’s Violin Concerto and at Sydney’s Great Synagogue in a high-octane performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons paired with Astor Piazzola’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

Sydney musician Da Silva Chen, with whom Winther swapped lead duties for this concert, has led Ensemble Apex and featured with top chamber ensembles including Omega Ensemble and the ACO. They are joined by violist (and former SSO Fellow) Dana Lee and Adelaide-based Thomas Marlin (Adelaide Baroque; the Tarrawatta Trio).

The Alma Moodie Quartet. Photo © Cassandra Hannagan

Their program, described as “a Romantic journey from darkness to light”, started...