The Dandenongs art lovers are in for a treat this September, with an exciting flute quartet series set to take place in two beloved, volunteer-run galleries in Ferntree Gully and Sherbrooke.
The Blind Creek Ensemble will be back for their second gallery season, presenting La Vie en Rose (life in pink – in English)- an intimate concern program celebrating French and French-inspired music, all brought to life by a local flute quartet.
The concerts will be held at two volunteer-run galleries in the hills; The Hut Gallery in Ferntree Gully on Saturday, 20 September, and Sherbrooke Gallery in Belgrave on Sunday, 21 September, with both performances beginning at 2pm.
The Blind Creek Ensemble’s artistic director, Kelsy De Prada said the concert’s French theme was inspired by the flute’s strong historical roots in France.
“The flute has a long history as a musical instrument, and the rise of great flute players like Marcel Moyse and Jean-Pierre Rampal cemented France as its home during the romantic period,” Ms De Prada said.
“Many amazing flute quartet works were written during this time and it is a dream for us to have the opportunity to play them alongside other contemporary flute works.”
The La Vie en Rose program features work including Jour d’été à la Montagne (summer day in the mountains) by Eugene Bozza, Seraphim by Australian composer Gordon Kerry and reimagined jazz standards that includes the titular La Vie en Rose and France’s Eurovision 2021 entry, Voilà by Barbara Pravi.
Ms De Prada said there’s something special about performing in the small, volunteer-run spaces chosen for this series.
“Chamber music is about sharing beautiful music with friends, families and community and I can’t think of better places to do that than in our local galleries, which are a hive of community artistic practices,” she said.
“Through having concerts at our local galleries, artists of different mediums can support each other and bring new audiences to our art forms. My favourite feedback from the last gallery series was hearing how many of our audiences had never been to the galleries before, and how excited they were to have discovered fantastic local artists.”
The Blind Creek Ensemble was founded in 2024 by Ms De Prada who saw a need for more chamber music performances by musicians living in Melbourne’s south-east.
“I was looking for great players based in the south-eastern suburbs to put on concerts in our local areas, and it is so special for us to be able to do so,” she said.
“Many musicians head straight to the city to perform, but neglect the brilliant venues in their own backyard. It is exciting to bring attention to thee great places and share them, and our music, with our local community.”
The group includes Ms De Prada, Emily Kimpton, Xiwen (Maggie) Mai, and Terence Teow.
Tickets are available either online or at the door and free entry for kids under 12.
Concession pricing is also available to anyone who mentions Star Mail.
“We are local musicians putting on concerts in our local areas, so community support means everything to us and we would love to share our music with as many members of the community as possible,” Ms De Prada said.
Looking ahead, the Ensemble is hoping to expand its gallery series in 2026 to include a third venue in each season, to make chamber music accessible to residents across the south-east.
“Local residents shouldn’t have to travel far to hear high quality music and we want to bring it closer to home for everybody to access without the barriers of distance,” Ms De Prada said.
For tickets and more information, visit:
The Hut Gallery, Ferntree Gully – Saturday 20 September: trybooking.com/DDGTA
Sherbrooke Gallery, Belgrave – Sunday 21 September: trybooking.com/DDHEU
You can also follow the Blind Creek Ensemble online or email, blindcreekensemble@gmail.com to stay up to date with future performances.
