My work consists of bright, punchy classical music driven by momentum and colour. From solo instruments to symphony orchestras, it moves between the concert hall, bespoke arrangements, and film.
Support: Penny Quartet X Ben Robinson
A substantial new string quartet, created in collaboration with Melbourne’s Penny Quartet, premiered live in Sydney and captured in a studio recording for album release.
The idea for this project began when we collaborated on an arrangement for Penny Quartet's national tour with First Nations singer-songwriter Jess Hitchcock. Through that process, we discovered a shared, energetic musical language and a clear momentum to continue creating music together.
This project builds on that momentum, allowing us to deepen the collaboration through an original 20-minute, four-movement string quartet.
The live premiere will be presented by Phoenix Central Park in November 2026, with the album released soon after.
Together, we will create a work that channels the restless energy of contemporary life while celebrating the intimacy and immediacy of the string quartet, fully engaging Penny Quartet’s technical agility and expressive range.
With enough support, we will expand the collaboration to include string quartet arrangements of existing orchestral and chamber works, forming a fully collaborative album equally alive with virtuosic intensity and irreverence.
Through this album, the music will have a life beyond the premiere, reaching audiences across Australia and internationally.
Make a tax-deductible gift
Donating via the Australian Cultural Fund ensures your donation to this project is tax-deductible.
By supporting us, you are directly backing the artists involved and helping us to grow this collaboration from a single new work into a broader, ambitious body of music.
This campaign closes 28 February 2026.
Latest news.
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2MBS Stephan Kruger Scholarship
The 2026 Stefan Kruger Scholarship from 2MBS Fine Music Sydney provides $13,000 in support, pairing financial backing with promotional resources to champion emerging Australian artists. This award will foster the creation of a new work for the fiercely talented Penny Quartet, deepening a growing artistic partnership and culminating in a digital release to reach wider audiences.
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New Recording: Clarinet Concertino
Composed for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s brilliant second clarinettist Eloise Fisher, Second Chance grew from our shared experience of being the underdog. With humour and flair, this 12-minute showpiece pushes back against that idea. It marks the culmination of the two-year Australian Composers’ School program.
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Arrangement: Lime Cordiale
A new arrangement for Aussie band Lime Cordiale live with symphony orchestra. Performing alongside the Sydney, Melbourne, West Australian, Queensland and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, Lime Cordiale closed each set of their national tour with this orchestral adaptation of their hit track Inappropriate Behaviour.
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International Society for Contemporary Music
Stepping Out for violin and piano has been shortlisted by the Australian Music Centre for the 2026 ISCM World New Music Days Festival in Bucharest. Originally commissioned by the Australian National Academy of Music, you can listen to the premiere performed by Lynda Latu and Peter de Jager.
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Virtual scores now available
A new collection of score videos is now available for streaming online. If you are interested in purchasing or commissioning a score, or if you would simply like to explore the repertoire, you can discover both new and old works while delving into the music in greater detail.
Ben Robinson is a versatile classical composer whose music is equal parts thrilling, playful, reflective and chaotic.
With musical arcs of “fun and fury” (Limelight), his bold and agile compositional style has earned commissions from the likes of Omega Ensemble, the Australian National Academy of Music, the Sydney Opera House and Ensemble Apex.
Ben’s music has been performed by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Penrith Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Offspring, presented at local festivals including Vivid Sydney and Extended Play, and internationally including the Asian Saxophone Congress in Shanghai.
In 2025 he received the 2MBS Fine Music Stefan Kruger Scholarship and was shortlisted by the Australian Music Centre for the 2026 ISCM World New Music Days Festival in Bucharest.
As an arranger, he has reimagined the music of Australian band Lime Cordiale for their national tour with the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, West Australian and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, and First Nations singer-songwriter Jess Hitchcock for her Musica Viva Australia tour with the Penny Quartet.
Since graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2019, Ben has been selected for prestigious creative opportunities including the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra's Australian Composers' School and Omega Ensemble's CoLAB: Composer Development Program, where he has honed a fiery compositional style and a knack for collaborating with Australia's leading musicians.
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Get in touch.
Whether you’d like to commission a work or ask a question, I’d love to hear from you at contact@benrobinson.com.au
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