Muses Trio and Cerulean Collective: Cosmic Electric Sea-Slug Couture (6 December 2026)
Tickets: available here
COSMIC ELECTRIC SEA-SLUG COUTURE: Muses Trio and Cerulean Collective team up for a double concert in December celebrating the cosmic electric Brisbane lightscape illuminated by the next generation of women composers.
MUSES TRIO immerses the listener in a vibrant sound world with the premiere of the "Brisbane Lights" suite celebrating the city's lights and community, a major new collaborative work composed by Shelby Devenish, Ashlyn Keiler, Sophia Mackson and Isabella Tate, with segments by mentors Nicole Murphy and Isabella Gerometta. The performance also envelopes the quirky world of Isabella Gerometta’s Cosmic Electric Sea-Slug Couture, with sneak previews from Muses Trio’s forthcoming studio album through the rhythmic complexity of Nicole Murphy’s Pearl, and the evocative Storm Song for cello and piano by Abigail Lui (2026 GenMuse Feature composer), paired with poetry by writer/cellist Emily Winter (Cerulean Collective).
CERULEAN COLLECTIVE opens this double bill with a heartfelt performance of brand new and reimagined works, featuring lyrical compositions by core members Abigail Lui (Queensland Music Award contemporary-classical winner 2026, Muses Trio GenMuse Feature Composer 2026), Alexandra Mison (Omega Ensemble CoLAB 2025) and Sophia Mackson (Muses Composer Development Program 2026), alongside composer Imogen Ferdinando (Camerata Emerging Composer in Residence 2026).
Program
Cerulean Collective (4pm)
Imogen Ferdinando: Autumn Leaves (cello, pno) 3’15’’ (performed with poetry approx. 1’)
Sophia Mackson: Granny Square Blanket (vln, vla, cello, pno) 4-5’
Sophia Mackson: How to Let Go rearranged (vln, cello, pno) 5’30’’
Alexandra Mison: Untitled (vla, vla) 5-6’
Alexandra Mison: Untitled (vln, pno) 5-6’
Abigail Lui: Colour of Time mvt II (vln, vln, vla, cello) 5’
Muses Trio (5pm)
Nicole Murphy: Pearl
Abigail Lui: Storm Song (cello / pno) + poetry by Emily Winter
Shelby Devenish, Ashlyn Keiler, Sophia Mackson and Isabella Tate, Nicole Murphy and Isabella Gerometta: Brisbane Lights Suite
Izzy Gerometta: Cosmic Electric Sea-Slug Couture
MUSES TRIO
- Christa Powell: violin
- Therese Milanovic: piano
- Francesca Masel: cello
Muses Trio are some of Australia’s leading and most exciting musicians in contemporary classical music, known for their edgy, spine-tingling and virtuosic performance style. This performance features Christa Powell (violin), Therese Milanovic (piano), and Francesca Masel (guest cellist).
Muses Trio celebrate music composed and performed by women, and focus on bringing this relatively unknown, yet vastly deserving collection of works to the stage. Signatures of their carefully curated public performance events are guest speakers/ performers with an inspiring cause, and a focus on creating memorable experiences. Discovering, inspiring, collaborating, commissioning, connecting and supporting creative women to pursue and share artistic excellence drives the passion and impetus of their artistic focus.
Muses have released four independent albums with Louise King (cello) ("The Spirit and the Maiden", "Celebrating Clara", "Music for Calm and Catharsis", and "10 Years", and have also recorded for ABC Classic’s "Women of Note" (Vol 3 and 4). Muses Trio received the ABC Fresh Start Fund to commission and record "Fire Dances" for ABC Classic, comprising of a short dance from a women composer in each Australian state and territory, reflecting on their experiences of the 2019-2020 devastating bushfire season.
2023 marked the tenth anniversary of the trio. Highlights of their anniversary year included their debut EP for Corella Recordings, "The Road Not Taken", and recording their landmark ABC Classic FM Album of the Week feature, "10 Years", showcasing five significant new works by living Australian women composers. In 2025, they were awarded the State Luminary Award from APRA AMCOS in recognition of their role in shaping the future of Australian music.
Discover more about Muses Trio at musestrio.com.
CERULEAN COLLECTIVE
- Abigail Lui: composer, violin
- Alexandra Mison: composer, piano
- Sophia Mackson: composer, viola
- Emily Winter: writer, cello
- Bridget Wegner: viola
Cerulean Collective is a Meanjin/Brisbane-based ensemble that seeks to perform new music with sensitivity, creativity and care, championing local composers and instrumentalists. Comprised of core members Abigail Lui, Alexandra Mison, Sophia Mackson and Emily Winter the ensemble combines composition, creative writing and performance to engage playfully and evocatively with contemporary art music.
The ensemble debuted as guest artists for Voices of Birralee’s "Radiance" concert in November 2024 with Abigail Lui’s Wayfarers Piano Trio No. 1. Cerulean Collective were artists at the Long Listen Festival in 2025, and in April the same year celebrated the launch of their first album, Horizons, through Corella Recordings. The album, released through Corella Recordings, features music composed by Lui and Mackson, performed by Mackson, Helena Burns, Cerulean Collective, and Flora Wong, and is available on all streaming platforms.
Discover more about Cerulean Collective on Instagram @cerulean_collective and stream the album (Horizons) from https://corellarecs.lnk.to/Horizons.
Acknowledgements
The "Brisbane Lights" suite is the product of Muses Inc's inaugural GenMuse: Emerging Composer Development Program.
Proudly sponsored by
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The Creative Sparks Grant Program is an initiative of Brisbane City Council in partnership with the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
Cost
Tickets for this performance are $30–60. Doors open at 3:30pm. A cash bar will be available for socialising amongst the plants. Free parking.
Tickets
You'll receive confirmation of your ticket order by email or sms (whichever one you used with your order). We'll have a ticket list at the door when you arrive to help you save the trees and the hassle of printing your ticket.
Location
Plant Empire has moved! This concert will be held at our new premises in Tennyson, Brisbane: 15/55 Lofter St, Tennyson Q 4105. The site has easy access to free on-street parking and is an easy 10-minute walk from Yeerongpilly train station and restaurants at Yeerongpilly Green.
Accessibility
Concerts in our new premises have unallocated ground floor seating that are all level without any steps, while mezzanine seating with obstructed views is accessible via a staircase with 22 steps and 1–2 landings. The site has one wheelchair parking spot, and visitors are encouraged to use on-street parking to leave other on-site parking available for people with mobility issues.
Reminders
You have full control over how (and how often) you receive reminders for our events. You will receive one email confirmation from us when you purchase your ticket; but we won't send any further email reminders, so please ensure that you have the concert details in your diary. You can also use the "add to calendar" function in our events calendar to add the concert to your digital calendar and customise your reminder preferences.
Cancellation Policy
Please choose carefully before purchasing your tickets for this concert as we do not offer refunds on event bookings.
Program Changes
Please note that the program for this concert is subject to change.
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