For our latest FQ Discover video, Zoe chatted with Ben Opie ahead of our 2022 FQ Margaret Sutherland Festival. Ben was responsible for introducing FQ to these magnificent works and we are so pleased he did. He’s also a wonderful musician and human being to boot.

Catch Ben’s performance of Margaret Sutherland’s “Serenade” for oboe and strings with FQ available for on-demand streaming from Monday 11 April, 7pm here on FQ Digital.

Find out more about Ben: https://www.benopie.com.au

Flinders Quartet's Zoe Knighton and Margaret Sutherland expert Dr Jillian Graham discuss the life and work of the matriarch of 20th century Australian composition.

Zoe Knighton delves deep into Margaret Sutherland’s unique harmonic language to shed some light on how she crafted such an individual voice. It is our hope that Margaret Sutherland’s String Quartet No. 1 will begin to be played more regularly in Australia and overseas!

features

LEE BRADSHAW (1977-)
"Excuse me while I kiss the sky" (composed 2021)

Filmed December 2021 at Footscray High School by Agatha Yim, Polyphonic Pictures

In 2019, Flinders Quartet began a residency with Footscray High School encouraging teenagers to experience and fall in love with the string quartet repertoire exploring the string quartets of Shostakovich. In 2021, FQ delved into Bartok with the students, creating art works, posters and this piece written by Lee Bradshaw which celebrates the fascination Jimi Hendrix had with the 6 quartets of Bela Bartok.

THIBAUD PAVLOVIC-HOBBA violin
WILMA SMITH violin
HELEN IRELAND viola
ZOE KNIGHTON cello
FOOTSCRAY HIGH SCHOOL BAND Isaac, Archie, Tom, Sam, Rocco,

LEE BRADSHAW producer/engineer
PRODUCTION STUDENTS OF FOOTSCRAY HIGH SCHOOL producers/engineers
PAUL DOOLEY Director of Music and supervisor of students
NICOLAS COSTANZO Preparation of School Band

Flinders Quartet is deeply grateful for the support of project partners:
Betty Amsden Foundation
Playking Foundation

Filmed August 2019 at Footscray High School by Agatha Yim, Polyphonic Pictures

A little insight into our week-long Shostakovich residency at Footscray City College in August 2019.

Interviews with:
Zoe Knighton, Flinders Quartet cellist
Paul Dooley, Head of Music at Footscray City College
Dillon, year 10 drama student at Footscray City College
Esin, year 10 drama student at Footscray City College

Flinders Quartet:
Thibaud Pavlovic-Hobba, violin
Nicholas Waters, violin
Helen Ireland, viola
Zoe Knighton, cello

Filmed and edited by Agatha Yim @ Polyphonic Pictures polyphonicpictures.com

Filmed August 2019 at Footscray City College

Thank you to the staff and students at Footscray City College, and especially Paul Dooley. Thank you to Lush Rash.

Special thanks to program partners Hamer Family Fund, Krystyna Campbell-Pretty, Mary Vallentine AO, Kim Williams AM, and Gandel Philanthropy

features

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
String Quartet No. 3 Op. 73, movt 1 Allegretto

String Quartet No. 4 Op. 83, movt 2 Andantino

String Quartet No. 5 Op. 92, movt 1 Allegro non troppo

String Quartet No. 3 Op. 73, movt 3 Allegro non troppo

String Quartet No. 11 Op. 122, movt 3 Recitative: Adagio, movt 4 Etude: Allegro, movt 5 Humoresque: Allegro

String Quartet No. 8 Op. 110, movt 2 Allegro molto

Filmed August 2019 at Footscray High School by Agatha Yim, Polyphonic Pictures

THIBAUD PAVLOVIC-HOBBA violin
NICHOLAS WATERS violin
HELEN IRELAND viola
ZOE KNIGHTON cello
with students from Footscray High School

Special thanks to program partners Hamer Family Fund, Krystyna Campbell-Pretty, Mary Vallentine AO, Kim Williams AM, and Gandel Philanthropy

Flinders Quartet's Zoe Knighton and Beethoven expert David Larkin take an in-depth look at Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132.