Future Classics

22 November 2025

In the Utzon Room

Classical Music

This showcase at the Sydney Opera House celebrates the best of a new generation of musical creators, nurtured by the virtuosic artists of Ensemble Offspring in the acclaimed Hatched Academy mentorship program.

A talk hosted by Stephen Adams featuring Claire Edwardes and Holly Harrison will take place pre-concert.

Ensemble Offspring are both giving to the future and also gaining from the energy and delight that these musicians bring to all they do.

ClassikON

Useful information:

Discover the Future Classics of Australian art music

The Ensemble Offspring Hatched Academy has been an incubator for the Australian music scene for more than a decade, with ‘fledglings’ having taken flight all over Australia, bringing fresh ideas and creative excellence to the vanguard of contemporary music. 

In this showcase at the Sydney Opera House, our Hatched Composer Intensive and Emerging Performer residencies for 2025 come to fruition, and it’s your chance to discover the Future Classics of new Australian art music.

Hear world premieres from four of our nation’s most innovative young composers, composed especially for Ensemble Offspring under the guidance of 2025 mentor Holly Harrison.

Featured on stage: exciting and versatile young pianist Ronan Apcar, our 2025 Hatched Emerging Performer, alongside our virtuosic Ensemble Offspring instrumentalists

Presented by Ensemble Offspring

Artist information

Ronan Apcar Hatched Emerging Performer
Piano

Lamorna Nightingale
Flute

Jason Noble
Clarinet

Benjamin Ward
Double bass

Niki Johnson
Percussion

Program

Klearhos Murphy
New work* (2025) (Hatched Alumni Commission)

Georgina Bowden 
New work* (2025)

Callum O'Reilly 
New work* (2025)

Beth Roche 
New work* (2025)

Louis Wishart 
New work* (2025)

Thomas Meadowcroft 
New work* (2025) (Emerging Performer Commission)
 
* World premiere

Plan your visit

You may also like

Donald Runnicles conducts Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony

12 – 14 Sep 2025

You can feel the tension in Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Written after he had been denounced by Stalin for writing ‘muddle instead of music’, Shostakovich’s response was this symphony. Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is a mighty, sweeping masterpiece that unleashes the full power of the orchestra; a bold statement that found universal approval. Principal Guest Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles is world-renowned for connecting audiences to the emotion of music, which means you’ll feel every dramatic twist and turn, with goosebumps guaranteed in the blazing finale.

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Donald Runnicles stands with baton in his left hand as he conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

The Tallis Scholars

12 Oct 2025

Award-winning British vocal ensemble, The Tallis Scholars return to the Sydney Opera House for the first time in over two decades with an unmissable program inspired by the timeless beauty of Gregorian chant. The Tallis Scholars are renowned for their stunning cappella performances and exquisite recordings of sacred vocal music. The choir first sang at the Sydney Opera House in 1985, 40 years ago, and has returned five times since.

  • Classical Music

A Musical Awakening

21 Sep 2025

Music is visceral and vital. In A Musical Awakening, we invite you to take a breath and lean into this program designed to nourish your soul. Directed by ACO Principal Cello Timo-Veikko Valve, the Orchestra will be joined by friend and recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey, whose mastery of this most elemental of instruments is unsurpassed.

  • Classical Music
  • Australian Chamber Orchestra
The surface of a dark body of water with light reflected of gentle waves and wind creating soft spray of whitewater.

Checking availability