Twilight. French doors open onto the harbour, as birdsong drifts in on the summer breeze. Inside the old Quarantine Station, flute, clarinet and percussion take inspiration from the weird and wonderful sounds of the Australian bush. The setting is intimate and the music personalised – everything on the program was written especially for Ensemble Offspring.

Most concerts take place in insulated spaces, but this one invites nature inside, celebrating the breathtaking virtuosity of birdsong with sounds both familiar and unexpected. Perhaps you’ll hear a pied butcher bird, a blackbird, a magpie or a frenzied flock of rainbow lorikeets, even a nightingale.

Gerard Brophy’s latest trio, Beautiful Birds, features the cheeky mimicry of the lyrebird, the wistful elegance of the flamingo and the quivering soul of the hummingbird. It is joined by beguiling music from the next generation of Australian composers in a transporting program to welcome in the dusk.