Whiskey Bar Series
Event description
Harking back to the days of the speakeasy bars, this gem of a venue is the setting for four very special, intimate Ensemble Q concerts in 2024. Enter the room through a Narnia-inspired wardrobe and dissolve yourself in an evening of good company and incredible music played just for you by some of the finest musicians in Australia. Bring friends or make new ones, everyone is welcome. This series is the continuation of the consistently sold out (months in advance) Underground series and there are strictly limited seats to you will need to be quick to get your tickets.
Doors open at 6.20 for a 7pm performance. We recommend arriving as close to 6.20 as possible to order your drink and find the perfect seat.
Concert one: Bach in the Bar. Tuesday 30 April
We welcome the extraordinary violinist Sophie
Rowell to Ensemble Q this year and this is your
chance to get to know her and hear her incredible
playing up close, in duo with Trish Dean. Currently
the Concertmaster of the Melbourne Chamber
Orchestra, Sophie has held positions as leader of
the Australian String Quartet and Concertmaster of
the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
The purity of Bach is perfect for our first
Whiskey Bar concert and will feature solo works
for both violin and cello, culminating in an ingenius
arrangement of the Bach Double Violin
Concerto by American cellist Cicely Parnas.
Featured performers
Sophie Rowell, violin
Trish Dean, cello
Concert two: Bass & Friends Tuesday 28 May
There can never be too much double bass, so the
Queen of Tarragindi - Phoebe Russell - is taking
centre stage again to delight our audience with a
bass fuelled program with her friends.
Enjoy a fiery performance of Bartok’s Romanian
Dances in a brilliant arrangement for flute and
double bass by American bass virtuoso Erik
Higgins, along with Benny’s Gig for clarinet
and bass by Morton Gould and the exquisitely
virtuosic Duo for Cello and Bass by Rossini.
Featuring guest flautist Tim Munro.
20Rossini Duo for Cello and Bass
Bartok Romanian Dances
Schulhoff Concertino
Morton Gould “Benny’s Gig”Featured artists: Phoebe Russell, bass
Tim Munro, flute (guest artist)
Trish Dean, cello
Paul Dean, clarinet
Concert three: Romancing the Cellist Tuesday 30 July
Voted as Australia’s most loved instrument by
ABC Classic audiences, the cello has had more
heart warming, gut wrenching and romantic
works written for it than any other instrument.
In this decadent program of celliciousness,
Trish Dean is joined by virtuoso pianist Anna
Grinberg. And sweeping her off her feet yet
again is Trish’s much adored husband and
co-Artistic Director of Ensemble Q, Paul Dean
for some stunningly beautiful pieces by Bruch.
If you have a favourite cello work you
would like to hear played, email Trish your
request and we’ll see what we can do. Email
ensembleqaustralia@gmail.com
Featured performers
Trish Dean, cello
Anna Grinberg, piano (guest artist)
Paul Dean, clarinet
Concert four: A Night in France Tuesday 27 August
| Featuring Sophie Rowell again, this stunning program will take you on a journey into the beauty of France through the eyes of Ravel, Poulenc, Francaix and Satie. In Trish Dean’s arrangement of the achingly beautiful clarinet sonata by Poulenc, the string quartet is engaged to create an expanded world of depth and French flavour. The much loved string quartet by Ravel is the centrepiece and we are joined by Huw Jones and David Mitchell to present the essence of French music in Francaix’s fun Divertissement for wind trio.Poulenc Clarinet Sonata (arr Trish Dean) Francaix Divertissement Eric Satie Gnossiennes 1 & 4 Ravel String Quartet | Featured artists Sophie Rowell & Anne Horton, violins Martin Alexander, guest viola Trish Dean, cello Huw Jones, oboe Paul Dean, clarinet David Mitchell, bassoon |