Melbourne’s The Edge is a bold, imaginatively curated daytime concert series every bit as unique as the space it inhabits at Fed Square. You’ll discover brilliant new works and musicians, hear favourites of the chamber repertoire as if for the first time, and witness how virtuosity and intimacy can exist hand in hand.

That latter quality is embodied by the Consort of Melbourne, who are joined by viola player Aaron Wyatt
in an unusual and intriguing combination of musical forces. Experience surpassingly beautiful choral works
encompassing themes of loss, nostalgia, and joy, many of them by Australian composers.

Ensemble Liaison are local favourites, beloved for their technical brilliance and the palpable joy they emit onstage. Those qualities will be on ample display in their appearance for The Edge, highlights of which include Weber’s demanding showcase for clarinet and piano and Schumann’s impossibly tender Adagio and Allegro.

Internationally renowned violinist Rachael Beesley brings together a who’s who of Melbourne’s early music specialists for a program entitled Autumnal Tone. Featured composers include Bach, Couperin, Leclair, and Telemann, their works united by a sense of the valedictory.

Masterpieces by Bartók and Haydn bookend the Penny Quartet’s Viva Edge offering, providing a study in contrasts. Where Bartók’s Fourth String Quartet has a muscular, driving power, Haydn’s String Quartet in F Major is a diaphanous beauty, akin to a serenade. Both are unforgettable, especially when played by such vibrant musicians.

The trailblazing Arcadia Winds offer up an eclectic program and a moment of reflection when they give the world premiere of a work by Australian composer Sam Wu, inspired by the extraordinary efforts of ICU workers during the pandemic.