One of the most versatile and dynamic ensembles working in Australia today, Phoenix Collective Quartet are known for their eclectic and adventurous programming, effortlessly interweaving string quartet classics with contemporary and popular genres. Their diverse collaborations with luminaries such as Katie Noonan and Tenzin Choegyal have introduced chamber music to new audiences around the country.
For their 2026 Braidwood concert PCQ open an enchanted gateway into the music of celebrated Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi. As the world’s best-known anime composer, Hisaishi is responsible for the scores to blockbuster films such as Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
In this concert PCQ will perform Hisaishi’s String Quartet, a work they premiered in Australia with the composer’s permission in 2023. Each movement of this complex and beautiful piece is a response to an artwork by the legendary graphic artist, MC Escher. The mysterious veils of illusion and playful trickery of Escher’s work find their counterpart in the genius of Hisaishi’s musical architecture. Selections from some of Hisaishi’s most-loved anime scores will complete a program full of quirky fun and discovery.
