Audiences were invited into Ensemble Offspring’s The Oracle on Wednesday evening, a program of three Australian premieres and four distinctive works. Artistic Director Claire Edwardes described it as the ensemble’s most ambitious and immersive project of 2026 – an apt introduction to a concert exploring themes of humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

The concept of the oracle as a source of knowledge and revelation provided the evening’s unifying thread. Drawing connections between ancient traditions and contemporary Australian voices, the works also exhibited a collectively strong environmental consciousness.

Ensemble Offspring: The Oracle. Photo © Jared Underwood

Christopher Cerrone’s How to Breathe Underwater opened the evening. An electronic drone lingered beneath the cello and bass clarinet, creating a muted resonance suggestive of submersion. Vocalist Véronique Serret and trumpeter Arkie Moore shared a particularly compelling musical dialogue, their phrases feeding into one another with an organic sense of breath and exchange.

While Cerrone has described the work as reflecting both water and states of emotional overwhelm, the recurring melodic fragments also evoked a meditative quality. The piece became an exploration of interdependence, illustrating how performers rely upon one another to sustain and communicate musical...