In 1995, Roger Woodward took a punt on a handful of young musicians from the Sydney Conservatorium. Twenty years and hundreds of premieres later, Ensemble Offspring is still pushing boundaries, breaking rules, and delighting audiences around the world.

Future Retro brings together gargantuan compositions from our past (Concert 2: Retro) with six exciting new commissions (Concert 1: Future). It’s a joyous celebration of where we’ve come from, and where we’re headed.

Future celebrates the very best in Australia’s emerging musical talent. Kicking off at 3pm, Future will include five world premieres from composers Tristan Coelho, Cassie To and Kezia Yap (Sydney Conservatorium), and Samuel Smith and Dan Thorpe from our mentoring program, the Hatched Academy. 

Starting at 6pm, Retro will be a diverse homage to our 20-year history of life-changing music. Works include the funky sonic ping pong of Louis Andriessen’s Hoketus, the exhilarating virtuosity of Gerard Grisey’s Talea and a creative remake of the masterful textures of György Ligeti in Beyond Atmospheres.

Join us for drinks and dialogue between the shows to celebrate our past and toast the future.