Britian’s Brodsky Quartet will tour Australia in February 2026 in an extraordinary collaboration with didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton, tracing an arc through time and across cultures.
The 2026 Australian Brodsky/Barton tour brings together two remarkable musical forces: a profound musical dialogue between traditions that showcases both artistic excellence and the power of cultural exchange.
The programme is a feast of storytelling: Andrew Ford's Eden Ablaze written during the bushfires of 2019 and Peter Sculthorpe's Jabiru Dreaming sit alongside Janáček's confessional Intimate Letters, selections from Purcell and Stravinsky, and Barton's own compositions.
The British Council is delighted to support the Brodsky Quartet's participation as part of our ongoing work to connect creative communities across the UK and Australia. This tour represents the kind of sustained creative relationship-building that sits at the heart of the our work: connecting artists across borders, fostering cross-cultural exchange, and strengthening the networks that allow exceptional art to flourish.
These performances build on a foundation established through the British Council’s UK/Australia Season, which supported William Barton's collaboration with Chineke! Orchestra on new commissions that premiered at Adelaide Festival before being showcased at Edinburgh Festival. The Season also featured Barton performing with the Australian Chamber Orchestra at the Barbican in London, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
About the artists
With over 50 years of music-making to their credit, Britain's Brodsky Quartet are phenomenal collaborators and have crossed paths with other artists such as Elvis Costello, Björk and Dawn Upshaw. The Brodskys, who have for a long time been enthusiastic advocates of Sculthorpe's quartets, fulfilled their long time wish to perform with William Barton through several collaborations in recent years, including a hugely successful tour of New Zealand.
William Barton is Australia's most celebrated didgeridoo virtuoso. The sounds that he creates from this apparently simple, elemental instrument are quite extraordinary; his performances generate awe, even disbelief, in his listeners. His didgeridoo virtuosity has earned him the honour of performing with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle.
Tour dates
25-28 February 2026
- 25 February – Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne
- 26 February – Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
- 27 February – Australian Chamber Orchestra On The Pier, Sydney
- 28 February – Adelaide Festival, Adelaide