Australia's Goldner String Quartet Disbands

The ensemble had been playing together for more than 30 years

Australia's Goldner String Quartet recently announced that the 2024 season, which marks three decades of performing together, would be its last.

The quartet, which is comprised of Dene Olding and Dimity Hall (violins), Irina Morozova (viola), and Julian Smiles (cello), was originally formed in 1995.

It is made up of two married couples (Olding/Morozova and Hall/Smiles), with all the players also being members of the Australia Ensemble. The group took its name from the viola player Richard Goldner, who was also the founder of Musica Viva in Australia.

Cellist Smiles announced the group's final season following a performance at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, which has been a regular fixture for the group over its three-decade history. Other highlights include appearances at Wigmore Hall, the City of London Festival, and on regular international tours organized by Musica Viva.

They served as the Quartet-in-Residence at the annual Australian Festival of Chamber Music, in Townsville, North Queensland.

The players have also been staunch advocates for contemporary music, particularly music written by Australian composers. They have enjoyed an especially close collaboration with composer Peter Sculthorpe and were the subjects of a documentary on his music in 2015.

In addition, the quartet has recorded 19 studio albums — including a major project that saw them tackle the complete Beethoven string quartets.

From an education standpoint, the Goldners have mentored young ensembles through programs of the Australian Youth Orchestra, Musica Viva Australia, the Australian National Academy of Music, the Sydney Conservatorium, and AFCM Townsville.