Omega Ensemble Announces 2026 Season Featuring Dazzling New Works & Chamber Classics
Don’t miss Omega Ensemble’s incredible 2026 season filled with boundary-pushing new works and bold music-making.
Omega Ensemble is delighted to unveil its 2026 national concert season, an awe-inspiring celebration of chamber classics, cutting-edge new works, and musical risk-taking performed by classical music’s finest local and international artists.
In 2026, audiences can expect six programs, eleven concerts, six world premieres and three Australian premieres, performed by outstanding artists, including Australian trumpet virtuoso David Elton, French-born, Australian-based Horn player Nico Fleury, rising star conductor Sam Weller and internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Rowden, in a season which promises to push the boundaries of imagination and storytelling.
Omega Ensemble’s Artistic Director, David Rowden said, “For me, the thrill after 20 years of leading Omega Ensemble lies in the discovery of finding the unexpected beauty that happens when artists take risks together on stage. In 2026, Omega Ensemble is embracing that challenge with pride and vigour, discovering new voices, and inviting audiences to experience Australian music in a completely new light.”
The season opens in February with Starburst, an explosive three-city tour of colour and emotion led by special guest artist, Principal Trumpet of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Elton. Elton performs Shostakovich’s brilliant Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings alongside the world premiere of a new double concerto for clarinet and trumpet by Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth. Also featured are evocative works from GRAMMY Award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery and Englishman Gerlad Finzi.
In May, Omega Ensemble unites five leading voices of contemporary classical music in Howl. Experience a trailblazing new commission by Paris-born, LA-based composer Daniel Wohl, the unmistakable cinematic voice of Danny Elfman, the primal force of Pierre Jalbert, the folk-infused sound of Missy Mazzoli, and a part-string-quartet-part-rave by Anna Meredith.
Next, Omega Ensemble will visit Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney for Inner Landscapes, featuring Franz Schubert's Death and the Maiden (arr. Gustav Mahler), accompanied by a powerful contemporary work by Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning American composer John Corigliano, and the world premiere of Paul Stanhope’s new clarinet concerto.
In August, Omega Ensemble presents its annual showcase of works by Australia’s rising star composers in New Now 2026. This unforgettable celebration of local talent sees four emerging composers — Jessie Leov, Robert McIntyre, Thomas Misson, and Beth Roche — debut new works developed through Omega’s CoLAB Composer Accelerator Program.
In September, Omega Ensemble welcomes guest artist, Principal Horn of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Nico Fleury and rising star conductor and Ensemble Apex founder’s Sam Weller for a vibrant performance of musical myths, visiting Melbourne and Sydney. Sirens features the Australian premiere of Joe Hisaishi’s Two Dances for Large Ensemble, alongside the world premiere of Grammy-nominated English composer Anna Clyne’s Concerto for Horn and Strings. Audiences can also expect John Adams’s witty and heartfelt Gnarly Buttons and Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faun, vividly reimagined by Matthew Hindson.
Rounding out the 2026 season in November is The Trout. In two performances of flux, movement, and unstoppable energy at ACO on the Pier, Omega Ensemble brings together Schubert’s Trout Quintet, Guillaume Connesson’s Sextet, and a luminous new work by award-winning South Australian composer Anne Cawrse.
In 2026, audiences can expect six programs, eleven concerts, six world premieres and three Australian premieres, performed by outstanding artists, including Australian trumpet virtuoso David Elton, French-born, Australian-based Horn player Nico Fleury, rising star conductor Sam Weller and internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Rowden, in a season which promises to push the boundaries of imagination and storytelling.
Omega Ensemble’s Artistic Director, David Rowden said, “For me, the thrill after 20 years of leading Omega Ensemble lies in the discovery of finding the unexpected beauty that happens when artists take risks together on stage. In 2026, Omega Ensemble is embracing that challenge with pride and vigour, discovering new voices, and inviting audiences to experience Australian music in a completely new light.”
The season opens in February with Starburst, an explosive three-city tour of colour and emotion led by special guest artist, Principal Trumpet of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Elton. Elton performs Shostakovich’s brilliant Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings alongside the world premiere of a new double concerto for clarinet and trumpet by Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth. Also featured are evocative works from GRAMMY Award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery and Englishman Gerlad Finzi.
In May, Omega Ensemble unites five leading voices of contemporary classical music in Howl. Experience a trailblazing new commission by Paris-born, LA-based composer Daniel Wohl, the unmistakable cinematic voice of Danny Elfman, the primal force of Pierre Jalbert, the folk-infused sound of Missy Mazzoli, and a part-string-quartet-part-rave by Anna Meredith.
Next, Omega Ensemble will visit Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney for Inner Landscapes, featuring Franz Schubert's Death and the Maiden (arr. Gustav Mahler), accompanied by a powerful contemporary work by Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning American composer John Corigliano, and the world premiere of Paul Stanhope’s new clarinet concerto.
In August, Omega Ensemble presents its annual showcase of works by Australia’s rising star composers in New Now 2026. This unforgettable celebration of local talent sees four emerging composers — Jessie Leov, Robert McIntyre, Thomas Misson, and Beth Roche — debut new works developed through Omega’s CoLAB Composer Accelerator Program.
In September, Omega Ensemble welcomes guest artist, Principal Horn of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Nico Fleury and rising star conductor and Ensemble Apex founder’s Sam Weller for a vibrant performance of musical myths, visiting Melbourne and Sydney. Sirens features the Australian premiere of Joe Hisaishi’s Two Dances for Large Ensemble, alongside the world premiere of Grammy-nominated English composer Anna Clyne’s Concerto for Horn and Strings. Audiences can also expect John Adams’s witty and heartfelt Gnarly Buttons and Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faun, vividly reimagined by Matthew Hindson.
Rounding out the 2026 season in November is The Trout. In two performances of flux, movement, and unstoppable energy at ACO on the Pier, Omega Ensemble brings together Schubert’s Trout Quintet, Guillaume Connesson’s Sextet, and a luminous new work by award-winning South Australian composer Anne Cawrse.