The Royal Albert Hall will host a new, immersive chamber music venue for 10 days in September, presented by Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in collaboration with the Royal College of Music. The ANAM Quartetthaus is presented as part of the UK/Australia Season 2021-22, a major programme of cultural exchange taking place across the two nations.

Making its first appearance outside Australia, the ANAM Quartetthaus is a temporary structure designed for listeners to experience the theatrical and visceral art of quartet playing. It seats just 52 patrons in two circles around a rotating central stage. No audience member is more than two metres from the performers.

Part of a wider drive around innovation and accessibility at the hall, it will be on site from September 18-28 2022 with six performances each day by a mixture of Australian and British quartets and repertoire.

Each concert programme will feature two different quartets and be scheduled on a rotating basis. British artists will include the Marmen String Quartet, Fiora String Quartet and Oriole String Quartet, joined by Australian groups including the Affinity String Quartet, Artamidae String Quartet, and Australian String Quartet. ANAM Quartetthaus will be the first performance on the Hall’s pedestrianised 1851 Place, following redevelopment of the north side of the venue.

The ANAM Quartetthaus was commissioned by the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) from Melbourne-based design company ‘bluebottle’ in 2011, and has previously been presented by a number of Australian arts festivals.

The UK/Australia Season is a major new cultural exchange celebrating the diverse and innovative artist communities and cultural sectors of each nation.

Lucy Noble, artistic director of the Royal Albert Hall, said: “We’re delighted to be taking part in the UK/Australia season and to host such an innovative performance concept for the first time outside Australia – as well as opening up new performance spaces around our site. The design of the ANAM Quartetthaus creates a completely new way of experiencing live music and we can’t wait to get inside.”