Penny Quartet ×
Ben Robinson
A new string quartet and debut release
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This artistic partnership began when Musica Viva Australia invited us to collaborate on a new string quartet arrangement for a national tour with First Nations singer-songwriter Jess Hitchcock.
Through that process, we discovered a shared musical language, creative energy, and a desire to continue exploring what was possible together.
The Lure builds on that momentum: an ambitious new collaboration between composer and ensemble, developed from the ground up.
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At the project’s centre is the development of Ben Robinson’s String Quartet No.1: The Lure, a bold new 20-minute work composed especially for Penny Quartet.
A shared artistic vision, this project combines compositional development, a live premiere, and a professionally produced studio release – the debut release for both Ben Robinson and Penny Quartet.
A fully collaborative work.
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Ben Robinson’s music explores the emotional complexity of contemporary life: the speed of modern existence, our increasingly digital world, and the challenge of finding meaning in an era of uncertainty.
The Lure channels these ideas through the extraordinary immediacy and expressive range of the string quartet: music that is thrilling, vulnerable and deeply human.
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The name reflects a defining reality of our time: the commodification of our attention.
From social media feeds to the 24-hour news cycle, we exist in a world of unprecedented stimulation. Sometimes it numbs us into submission; sometimes we adapt, resist, or even find humour within it; sometimes it's overwhelming.
The Lure gives form to these emotional contradictions, pulling the listener’s attention in different directions to create a thrilling, beautiful messiness which reflects the world around us.
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The project will premiere on 19 November 2026 at Phoenix Central Park’s converted church in Alexandria, followed by the digital release of a studio recording in early 2027.
Tickets to the premiere are free, by ballot entry only.
Support the project
New music does not come to life on the page alone.
It requires time, collaboration and resources for composers and performers to develop, rehearse, refine, premiere and record new work at the highest artistic standard.
We are raising the final funds needed to complete The Lure and share this new Australian work with audiences through its premiere and studio album.
Your support will directly help bring this project from page to stage—and beyond.
