Australian String Quartet Will Embark on Tour With INTERWOVEN

The Australian String Quartet (ASQ) will launch its 2026 national touring season this May with Interwoven, a program exploring the human impulse to create, connect and express through the music of four composers who share common ground in their rich emotional expressiveness and musical storytelling: Elizabeth Younan, Haydn, Clara Schumann and Prokofiev.

Commencing in Perth on 11 May 2026, and touring to Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the program weaves together contemporary string quartet writing from celebrated Australian composer Elizabeth Younan alongside some of classical music's most iconic composers.

The program opens with Younan's String Quartet No.1, Interwoven, which is the inspiration for the title of the tour. These performances mark a new era for the work, which began while Younan was a first-year Master of Music student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (she is now completing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at New York's famed Juilliard School) and was later completed with the support of Musica Viva in 2018.

Interwoven draws on themes of connection between musicians, the art of creation, and audiences. For Younan it's an honor for the work to be presented on the national stage by the ASQ.

"It's inspiring to witness the evolution of Interwoven and to welcome this exciting new chapter with the ASQ. This work is a major part of my origins as a composer, and having it presented nationally by Australia's preeminent string quartet in my home country is a true honour," Younan says.

According to Younan the partnership with the ASQ is an important opportunity for audiences to experience contemporary Australian string composition alongside some of history's greatest composers.

"There is no greater joy than being programmed by the ASQ alongside Haydn, Prokofiev and Clara Schumann for this remarkable program," she said.

For ASQ violinist Francesca Hiew the tour is a fitting way to launch the Quartet's 2026 national touring activity.

"The ASQ's mission has always been to create string quartet experiences that resonate-performances that stay with audiences long after the final note. This program invites listeners into a vibrant musical journey, alive with humour, colour, and deep expression."