Music at McClelland is back with sonic sculptural splendour in 2025.

Showcasing the astonishing talents of brilliant genre-bridging musicians, up close and personal, overlooking the magical bushland setting of the sculpture park. With every show different from the last, you’ll be satiated by a degustation of melodious morsels - from ancient to right now, from anthemic favourites to cutting-edge creativity - in a joyous celebration of scintillating sounds.

Penny Quartet have gained a reputation as a driven and multifaceted voice in Australian chamber music. Founded in early 2014, the group brings a vibrant approach to their performances across the country.

In their inaugural year, they were nominated for the Freedman Fellowship award, were the recipients of the John and Rosemary Macleod Travelling Fellowship and winners of the Australian National Academy of Music Chamber Music Competition. Since then, the Penny Quartet have been an ensemble in residence at the Four Winds Festival, Canberra International Music Festival, presented independent recital tours across Australia as well as Featured Artists with Musica Viva Australia’s regional touring program. They made their international debut as full scholarship holders at the St. Lawrence String Quartet seminar at Stanford, CA. Penny Quartet regularly collaborate and record with various composers and musicians, both independently and as Festival artists. They have been part of the ‘Local Heroes’ subscription series at the Melbourne Recital Centre since late 2017 and are two-time recipients of the MRC Contemporary Masters Award.

With diverse individual backgrounds and experiences across the globe, the group brings together years of knowledge and training to create a mature quartet sound. The Penny Quartet’s repertoire is wide and varied; a love for the core quartet repertoire is intertwined with an urge to explore less charted territory.