The Australian String Quartet joins cellist Julian Smiles for a program of chamber works by Samuel Adams, Tchaikovsky, and Schubert at UKARIA Cultural Centre on Sunday 16 August 2026.
The Australian String Quartet collaborates with cellist Julian Smiles, a lifetime member of the Goldner String Quartet, for a concert exploring intimate chamber music repertoire. Contemporary American composer Samuel Adams opens the program with his String Quartet No. 3, Alma, a work that examines fine textural landscapes and emotional intensity. The piece title references the Spanish word for 'soul' or 'spirit'.
Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile follows, arranged for cello and strings. Originally the second movement of his first string quartet, the work draws on a folksong Tchaikovsky heard sung by a gardener, a melody he confessed moved him to tears. The concert concludes after interval with Schubert's Quintet in C, completed just six weeks before the composer's death at age thirty-one. The work stands as one of his final great chamber compositions, balancing moments of clarity and joy with darker introspective passages.
The concert runs approximately two hours including a 25-minute interval. Complimentary afternoon tea is served during the interval, with pre-concert hearty soup available for $17. Adult tickets are $80, concessions $75, and under-40 tickets $40.
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