Flinders Quartet to Make North Sydney Debut Next Month

Flinders Quartet, Melbourne's premier string quartet, makes its debut appearance at North Sydney's spectacular Independent Theatre this June 18 - with special guest cellist, Timo-Veikko Valve - in a mouth-watering program of chamber pieces for strings by Schubert, Boccherini and Sculthorpe.

Australia's most loved composer, Peter Sculthorpe said of his compositions that he viewed his whole output as one slowly emerging work. The same can certainly be said of Luigi Boccherini and Franz Schubert. Each of these works epitomises the canon of these three masters of chamber music.

Flinders Quartet - Shane Chen (violin), Nicholas Waters (violin), Helen Ireland (viola) and Zoe Knighton (cello) - is instantly recognisable as one of Australia's most loved chamber music ensembles. A quartet for the twenty-first century, Flinders continues its second decade with acknowledged musical skill and maturity. Their dynamic and stirring performances of a full spectrum of repertoire have audiences and critics articulating their esteem, and the quartet is now a highly respected force in Australian chamber music.
It regularly commissions and premieres works by Australian composers such Stuart Greenbaum, Elena Kats-Chernin, Katy Abbott, Ross Edwards, Richard Mills, Paul Dean, Paul Grabowsky, Andrew Ford, Ian Munro and Tom Henry with Calvin Bowman and Iain Grandage commissions and arrangements slated for this year.

Scandinavian-born and trained Timo-Veikko "Tipi" Valve is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation performing as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader on both modern and period instruments. He has performed throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the US, premiered concerti by Finish composers and is a leading member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and founding member of Jousia Ensemble and Jousia Quartet.
He plays an Amati cello (made in 1616).

Flinders Quartet founding cellist Zoe Knighton says:
"The Schubert Quintet is crammed full of those moments that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. We have been icihing to play with Tipi for so many years as we adore his approach to music-making. We can't believe that moment is finally here!"

One notable feature of the Boccherini 'Fandango' Quartet is that the second cellist is required to also play castanets! Knighton takes on the challenge with both seriousness and good humour.

FLINDERS QUARTET & TIMO-VEIKKO VALVE: SCHUBERT GALA
Sunday 18 June at 3.30pm - Part of the Winter Concert Series
The Independent Theatre, 269 Miller St, North Sydney
Peter Sculthorpe - String Quartet No. 18*
Luigi Boccherini - String Quintet in G major Fandango
Franz Schubert - String Quintet in C major, D.956
Tickets: $37 Adult, $27 Concession, $15 student , $10 child
Includes complimentary refreshments at interval
Bookings ph: 9955 3000 or online at www.theindependent.org.au
*commissioned for Flinders Quartet by Peter and Leila Doyle

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