Cooper Branch chamber concert series
With the dual aims of supporting our local arts scene and raising branch funds, the Cooper branch is hosting a series of chamber concerts.
Presenting by popular request for a return performance:
The Last of the Human Troubadours
Presented by Black Square Quartet and Jackie Marshall and featuring Chris Pickering
At the centre of this project is Jackie Marshall, a Magandjin-based singer-songwriter, poet and multi-disciplinary artist. She is joined by Chris Pickering, a Naarm/Melbourne-based guitarist, composer and academic with a background in both popular and art music, and Black Square Quartet, known for their focus on contemporary repertoire and cross-genre collaboration.
The program centres on original songs by Jackie Marshall, with string quartet arrangements by celebrated Brisbane composer, Robert Davidson. It brings together material that spans contemporary songwriting and historical sources, including a cover of a song by Joni Mitchell, the celtic traditional Parting Glass, and the oldest surviving written musical composition in the Western canon, the 2000 year old Seikilos Epitaph, with its simple lyric “While you live, shine, hold no grief at all… Life exists only for a short while, and time demands its due”.
Stylistically, the performance sits between folk and contemporary classical practice, combining structured arrangements with space for flexibility and improvisation. The result is a program that moves between intimate, text-driven writing and more extended instrumental passages, presented in a format that reflects both song-based and chamber music traditions.
The program will also include new works for string quartet - Rob Davidson's Leaf and River Crossing.

All tickets include refreshments on the deck after the concert. Vegetarianc and vegan food available. Please contact the organiser with any other dietary requirements. Please notify the organiser of any mobility requirements.
Date: Sunday 2nd August 2026, 3pm (Allow extra time for parking.)
Place: 134 Ashgrove Ave, Ashgrove
Enquiries: Chris 0419 724 574
Early booking is recommended, as tickets are limited.
Ticket pricing:
- Standard $50
- Artist support $65 (includes a donation to artists)
- 'Molto' fundraiser $90 (includes an artist donation and a fundraiser boost)
- Concession $35 (students and Commonwealth concession card holders ONLY, does not include Qld Seniors cards)
If you wish to pay by Direct Deposit, please email your name, phone contact, email address and postal code to
cooper@qld.greens.org.au to book your ticket.
Date & Time
Aug 2nd, 2026 03:00 PM through toAug 2nd, 2026 05:00 PM
Location
134 Ashgrove Avenue AshgroveBRISBANE Queensland 4060
Contact
- Phone:
- 0419 724 574
- Email:
- cooper@qld.greens.org.au
