Fine music ensembles are on the rise, but what is driving their success?

How our diverse and burgeoning chamber music ensembles create a unique voice and what they contribute to the overall musical landscape.
Flinders Quartet, Montsalvat Upper Gallery, Melbourne. Image supplied by Flinders Quartet

In recent years there has been a flourishing of small musical ensembles in both traditional and contemporary forms of classical music. There are many positives for the avid classical music buff. The repertoire offers a diverse range of musical gems, dependent on the configuration of players. With this more intimate art form, smaller venues allow audiences to be more closely involved with the music and musicians. Ticket pricing is reasonable while concert programs are often shorter, a clear preference of today’s post-COVID audience.  

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Suzannah Conway is an experienced arts administrator, having been CEO of Opera Queensland, the Brisbane Riverfestival and the Centenary of Federation celebrations for Queensland. She is a freelance arts writer and has been writing reviews and articles for over 20 years, regularly reviewing classical music, opera and musical theatre in particular for The Australian and Limelight magazine as well as other journals. Most recently she was Arts Hub's Brisbane-based Arts Feature Writer.