Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' AURORA (2024)

Choral Singing / Choral Music

AURORA presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date: Sunday 7 July 2024, 3pm 
Venue: Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Hickson Road, Sydney

Southern and Northern Lights of the Choral Repertoire

Speaking of Aurora, VOX conductor Elizabeth Scott said, "This program has been inspired by our respect for and diverse interpretations of the world's natural phenomena and by our fascination with the mystery that is human nature. Despite the distance...we can see clear parallels in the way the power of nature inspires, influences and unites us."

~ ~ ~ 

                                          Celestial. Mesmerising. Gorgeous. 

Aurora - dawn, beginnings. or perhaps you think of the Aurora Australis and the Aurora Borealis - the southern and northern lights. Either way, this program has you covered, with the talented young singers of Sydney Philharmonia VOX performing luminous music by leading names of the contemporary choral scene, from both hemisphere. 

At the heart of this celestial aural experience sits Rautavaara's Missa a cappella - a contemplative devotional work by a Finnish mystic.  To frame it, VOX Associate Music Director Dr. Elizabeth Scott has chosen otherworldly and evocative music by Latvian Eriks Esenvalds and Estonian Arvo Paert. These northern 'lights' are joined by Eric Whitacre (his colourful Cloudburst), and three Australian voices. Sydney Philharmonia have commissioned new works from Nicholas Buc and James Henry (whose Murrgumurrgu made such an impression in 2023), and Luke Byrne's Desert Sea will make a welcome return.  

It is a mesmerising program that will showcase the pure sound and musical victuosity of VOX and inspire listeners the transformative beauty and sonic splendour of the music.  

Join Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for a public reception in Wharf 4/5 Studio and meet the performers following the concert.

Sunday 7 July 2024 at 3pm
Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Sydney

 

PROGRAM

DEBORAH CHEETHAM FRAILLON and MATTHEW DOYLE
Tarimi Nulay – Long Time Living here †

ALICE CHANCE
Aurora Eora †

ĒRIKS EŠENVALDS
The First Tears
Rivers of Light

JAMES HENRY
Fire in the Night Sky †

ARVO PÄRT
Magnificat

EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA
Missa a cappella (Credo, Kyrie)

ERIC WHITACRE
Cloudburst

NICHOLAS BUC
Starry Sky †

LUKE BYRNE
Desert Sea †

† Sydney Philharmonia Choirs commission

ARTISTS

Elizabeth Scott conductor
Luke Byrne piano

VOX

Duration: approximately 75 minutes. No interval.

Reviews: 

As available. 

Image  Credit:

AURORA, Philharmonia Choirs.

Resources:

AURORA. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed June 25, 2024  (Available at this time)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue. 

 

BOOK TICKETS HERE

DOWNLOAD FREE PROGRAM BOOK HERE

 

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House. 

 

(c) June 24, 2024. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Mendelssohn's Oratorio Elijah (2024)

Choral Singing / Oratorio

 

Mendelssohn's Elijah

 

Date:  Saturday 18 May 2024 at 7pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House 

 

Finally, Mendelssohn's Elijah is happening, presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus. SPC's supporters and followers will remember that due to COVID-19, this concert has had its share of cancellations: first, for its May 9, 2020 at 3pm, for September 11, 2021 at 3pm, and then again, for December 16, 2021 at 7pm.

"The tone and beguiling quality of Rhodes' voice remains untouched. There is a velvet like richness... great resonance... a touching sense of fragility..." 

~ Limelight, 2021~

In Elijah, Mendelssohn combines the majestic tradition of Handel and the worshipful spirit of Bach with his own Romantic style.  

Elijah, Op. 70, MWV A 25, is an oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn depicting events in the life of the Prophet Elijah as told in the books 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament. It premiered in 1846 at the Birmingham Festival. When Mendelssohn’s Elijah received its triumphant premiere at this festival there were more than a hundred musicians in the orchestra and several hundred singers in the choir. This is choral music on a grand scale, and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will do it justice with the imposing sound of the 400-voice Festival Chorus and the perfect ambience of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. 

Mendelssohn’s Elijah is a ‘bigger than Ben Hur’ Biblical drama with a cast of hundreds. And Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is thrilled to bring it with operatic baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes in the title role and the 400-voice Festival Chorus filling the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

If you’re a fan of Handel oratorios, you’re in good company – so was Felix Mendelssohn. Elijah was his response to the English oratorio tradition, with its Old Testament story (earthquake! fire! and the ‘still small voice’) imagined for the concert hall. In its more reflective moments you can hear the worshipful influence of Bach. The result is a thrilling Romantic picture of a ‘grand and mighty prophet…borne on the wings of angels’, but it also conveys a very human drama with tremendous sympathy.

Whether you come for the sheer magnificence of the performance or for the powerful and moving drama, you’ll experience first-hand the triumphant choral masterpiece that inspired a generation.

Sydney Philharmonia has no recorded video of this oratorio. Instead, below, I'm sharing this superb performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah, Op.70, MWV A25 / Part 1 - "Thanks be to God" excerpt performed by the Edinburgh Festival Chorus · Stephen Doughty · Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment · Paul Daniel. Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group. Accessed April 22, 2024. 



"Thanks be to God!"

Thanks be to God, He laveth the thirsty land. 
The waters gather, they rush along! 
They are lifting their voices! 
The stormy billows are high; their fury is mighty. 
But the Lord is above them, and Almighty!

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Fauré Requiem

CHORAL MUSIC / Sydney Philharmonia Choirs


Sydney Philharmonia presents:

Fauré Requiem
Thursday,  28 March 2024, 7pm

Sydney Town Hall

French composer Gabriel Fauré composed Requiem in D minor, Op. 48, between 1887 and 1890, revised it in the 1890s, and finished it in 1900. The choral-orchestral setting of the shortened Catholic Mass for the Dead in Latin is the best-known of his large works.

The focus of Fauré Requiem is on eternal rest and consolation. Depicting peace and beauty of the heavenly afterlife, the spirit is restored and the soul is healed.   

 

                                    Image Credit: Sydney Philharrmonia

The last time Sydney Philharmonia Choirs sang Faure's Requiem was during the late 2020 under the strains of COVID-19, rehearsing and sharing music with us in the digital realm. This time, Sydney Philharmonia brings this live concert in Sydney Town Hall.

This Easter, SPC offer a concert that embraces the uplifting energy and the healing power of choral singing.

Fauré’s Requiem is paired with a revival of John Peterson’s Shadows and Light, an SPC commission inspired by both the texts of the requiem mass and the headlines of September 11, 2001. But the key to the program is not death but rest (requiem) and light.

Both works play to the virtuosity and youthful sound of VOX and Chamber Singers. Shadows and Light features Peterson’s animated rhythms and attractive blending of musical styles – traditional and popular – in music that reminds us we need shadow in order to ‘see the light’.

Fauré’s Requiem stands apart from its more theatrical counterparts. Instead of fire-and-brimstone drama, it’s beautiful and consoling – a ‘lullaby of death’. Experience Fauré’s original vision with its intimate use of instruments and voices, from the drama of the Libera Me to the ethereal purity of the Pie Jesu and a finale that will take you to paradise.

Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings is the cathartic interlude in this profoundly moving concert.

Thursday 28 March at 7pm
Sydney Town Hall

This performance will run for 1 hour and 15 minutes. No interval.

PROGRAM

John Peterson Shadows and Light
Samuel BARBER Adagio for Strings
Gabriel FAURÉ Requiem
(1893 version edited by John Rutter)

ARTISTS

Elizabeth Scott conductor
Chloe Lankshear soprano
Andrew Goodwin tenor
Andrew O’Connor baritone
VOX and Chamber Singers
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

TICKETS

Premium $135 | A $110 | B $71 | C $50 | D $40
Concessions $122 | A $99| B $64 | C $45 | D $36
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

Download Program here

SPC Chamber Singers & VOX. Image Credit: Eva Tilley

Suggested Videos for Listening: 

1. Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.

LEonard Slatkin conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.  Accessed March 13, 2024.   

 

2. In Paradisum (Fauré): Winchester Cathedral Choir. YouTube, uploaded by drwestbury. Accessed March 13, 2024. [Lyrics below: In Paradise (In paradisum)]

 

Angels lead you (Deducant te Angeli),
And give the Martyrs (In tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres),
 

And take you to the holy city; (Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem),
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Angels welcome; (Angelorum te suscipiat),

When Lazarus once poor, (Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere),
When Lazarus, once poor, (Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere).

have eternal rest; (æternam habeas requiem),
have eternal rest. (æternam habeas requiem).

4. Gabriel Fauré - Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 (Introduced by Sir John Gielgud) YouTube, uploaded by EuroArtsChannel. From the Winchester Cathedral. Winchester Cathedral Choir English Chamber Orchestra Martin Neary - conductor Thomas Allen - baritone Dominic Harvey (soloist at Pie Jesu) James Lancelot - organist.  4:35 I. Introit and Kyrie 12:00 II. Offertoire 20:48 III. Sanctus 24:32 IV. Pie Jesu 28:42 V. Agnus Dei et Lux aeterna 35:18 VI. Libera me 40:24 VII. In Paradisum.  Accessed March 13, 2024. 

Video Credit:

 

Faure Requiem. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

 

 

Resources:

Fauré Requiem. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.  Accessed March 13, 2024. (Available the time of posting.)   

 

Fauré (Requiem). en. wikipedia.org.  

 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs 2024 Season.  

 

Reviews:  

 

Fauré’s Requiem (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). Limelight. 4.5 STARS. Reviewed by Steve Moffatt. Accessed March 30, 2024.  

Review: Fauré's Requiem at Sydney Town Hall. eastsidefm.org. Reviewed by Paul Neeson. Accessed March 30, 2024.    

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Present Faure's Requiem conduced by Elizabeth Scott @ Sydney Town Hall on Thursday March 28 2024. 5 STARS. Reviewed by John Pollak. Accessed March 31, 2024. 

For COVID-19 SAFETY
Note from Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: 

• The number of people in attendance will be limited in accordance with current Public Health Orders and ensuring appropriate physical distancing at all times.
• Hand sanitiser will be available and audience members over the age of 12 are required to wear masks.
• To minimise unnecessary contact, we will be distributing a digital program book, available in advance.

DETAILS ABOUT OUR COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN

(c) March 13, 2024. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Carols at the House (2023)

Choral Singing / Choral Music

CAROLS at the HOUSE (2023) presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Dates: Friday 15 December 2023, 8pm; Saturday16 Dec, 8pm; Sunday 17 Dec, 2pm  (with ABC Classic live broadcast)
Venue: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Sydney

A Christmas treat for the ears and for the heart. 

Carols at the House is back! True to form, we’re combining beautiful and uplifting music with your favourite Christmas carols and filling the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House with the sound of a 600-strong choir and full symphony orchestra.

Australian stage icon John Bell will shape the program with moving and thoughtful spoken interludes. Popular soprano Julie Lea Goodwin is Sydney Philharmoni Choirs' featured soloist. And conductor Elizabeth Scott has chosen the perfect selection of music for this family-friendly concert.

John Rutter’s Gloria is the highlight: a magnificent setting of the words the angels spoke to the shepherds on the first Christmas Night. Blazing brass, gorgeous harmonies and ecstatic singing. Highlights from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet music set the party mood. Favourites ranging from Irving Berlin’s White Christmas to highlights from Handel’s Messiah will evoke a northern hemisphere Yuletide, while Australian carols, both classic and new, and Luke Byrne’s rapturous Capricorn bring the concert Down Under.

As a special treat, ABC Classic host Vanessa Hughes will compere the concert and on Sunday, everyone is invited to join in singing Summer Together – a new song written by Elena Kats-Chernin with words by Kirli Saunders. ABC Classic will live broadcast the performance as part of the ABC Classic Choir initiative.

Of course there will also be opulent arrangements of carols and popular standards, stirring baroque choruses, some unexpected delights and plenty of audience participation – perfection.

Join in the Carols at the House tradition and celebrate Christmas with us!

Friday 15 December 2023 at 8pm
Saturday 16 December 2023 at 8pm
Sunday 17 December 2023 at 2pm (with ABC Classic Live Broadcast) 
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

PROGRAM

RUTTER Gloria
HANDEL Messiah (highlights)
TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker: Suite
ADAMS O Holy Night
BERLIN White Christmas
BYRNE Capricorn
KATS-CHENIN & SAUNDERS Summer Together
and an eclectic mix of singalong carols and favourite Christmas music.

This program will run for approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 20-minute interval. 

ARTISTS

Elizabeth Scott conductor
Vanessa Hughes compere
John Bell actor
Julie Lea Goodwin soprano
Symphony Chorus
VOX
Christmas Choir
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

TICKETS

Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.50 per transaction applies.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

A digital program book will be available to download on this page a week prior to the concert. A limited number of printed program books will be available for $10 each at the concert.

ABC CLASSIC CHOIR | SUNDAY PRE-CONCERT SING

Everyone is invited to join conductor Elizabeth Scott for a run-through of Elena Kats-Chernin’s song Summer Together ahead of the concert. In the concert, the whole audience will sing the song and will be broadcast live on ABC Classic.

Seating is on the carpeted stairs in the Northern Foyer.
Access the Northern Foyer via the new tunnel from the Southern Foyer.

• Sunday 17 December: 1:15PM-1:45PM
• Concert Hall, Northern Foyer stairs

BROADCAST

ABC Classic will live broadcast the 2PM Sunday 17 December performance.

Broadcast partner

Reviews: 

Carols at the House. Stage Whispers. Reviewed by Carol Wimmer. Accessed Dec. 18, 2023

Review: Carols at the House – Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. EAST SIDE FM 89.7 (eastsidefm.org). Accessed December 19, 2023.

SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS : CAROLS AT THE HOUSE. 5 Stars. Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by David Kary. Dec 17, 2023. Accessed Dec. 18, 2023

Video Credit:

Carols at the House (2023). YouTube, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. 

Image  Credit:

Carols at the House (2023). Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

Resources:

Carols at the House (2023). Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed October 24, 2023  (Available at this time)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Please note that we regularly update our guidelines based on health advice available at the time.

 

(c) October 24, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Bach's Christmas Oratorio (2023)

Choral Singing / Choral Music

Bach's CHRISTMAS Oratorio presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date: Saturday 16 December 2:00pm (2023)
Venue: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Sydney

"Shout for joy!" and celebrate Christmas with Bach." 

When JS Bach was at the height of his powers he created a monumental musical work for the Christmas season. Although he called it an oratorio, it was in six parts – one cantata for each of the first six days of Christmas. His listeners would have heard these in church services, with prayers, a sermon and congregational singing. But the genius of the Christmas Oratorio is that the music works brilliantly on a larger scale – tracing the Christmas narrative in satisfying style.

In this concert Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will perform the first three cantatas, beginning with thundering drums, trumpets and the thrilling sound of exultant voices lifted in praise: “Shout for joy!” The sweet pastoral sounds of flutes and oboes colour part two and its tender scenes in the lowly stable. Festive colours return as the shepherds arrive to witness the Lord of Heaven. In Bach’s hands the mystery of the Nativity finds perfect expression in glorious music.

Conducted by Brett Weymark, the finely tuned voices of our Chamber Singers and the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra find an impeccable balance between baroque expression and epic musical effect in this uplifting Christmas event.

PROGRAM

JS BACH Christmas Oratorio:
Parts 1–3

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Penelope Mills soprano
Margaret Plummer mezzo-soprano
Andrew Goodwin tenor
Christopher Richardson bass-baritone
Chamber Singers
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

TICKETS

Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

A digital program book will be available to download on this page a week prior to the concert. A limited number of printed program books will be available for $10 each at the concert.

PRE-CONCERT TALK

Come to the Northern Foyer from 1pm to hear 2MBS Fine Music presenter Michael Field speak about Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Grab a drink at the bar and enjoy this free, 30-minute talk, with plenty of time to find your seat for the 2pm concert.

Seating is on the carpeted stairs in the Northern Foyer.
Access the Northern Foyer via the new tunnel from the Southern Foyer.

• Saturday 16 December: 1:15PM-1:45PM
• Concert Hall, Northern Foyer stairs

 

2023 Pre-Concert Talks are made possible with the support of 2MBS Fine Music.

Reviews: 

Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). 4.5 Stars.  Limelight Magazine. Reviewed by Steve Moffatt, 16 December 2023. "Brett Weymark and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs triumph in a high-altitude assault on Bach’s magic mountain." Accessed December 19, 2023.    

SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS: BACH’S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO @CITY RECITAL HALL. 5 Stars. Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by Paul Nolan. 18 December 2023. "Bach... would have been as thrilled as the Sydney Opera House audience with the result!" Accessed December 21, 2023. 

 

Video Credit:

Bach's Christmas Oratorio 2023. YouTube, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed December 13, 2023.

Resources:

Bach's CHRISTMAS Oratorio. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed October 15, 2023  (Available at this time)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Please note that we regularly update our guidelines based on health advice available at the time.

 

(c) October 15, 2023. Updated December 21, 2023.  Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' MacMillan's Stabat Mater

Choral Singing / Choral Music

MacMillan's STABAT MATER presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date: Saturday 14 October 4:30pm (2023)
Venue: St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney

"It's not often that the composer of a new work gets a standing ovation, but then every new work isn't like James MacMillan's Stabat Mater." 

~ The Times ~

 

In this concert Brett Weymark showcases one of the most exquisite combinations in music: the sound of a virtuoso chamber choir with string orchestra. And the program he’s chosen reflects the musical richness of the Christian liturgical tradition and the inspirational vision of faith.

 Australian composers Daniel Brinsmead and Andrew Anderson offer fervent and heartfelt expressions of joy, hope and simple devotion. Arvo Pärt’s signature bell-like style is represented by two of his most popular instrumental meditations – Festina lente and Fratres.

But the heart of this concert is music by James MacMillan, whose sublime anthem “Who Shall Separate Us?” was heard in the funeral service for Her Majesty Elizabeth II. His setting of the Stabat Mater is a fiercely impassioned evocation of Mary’s grief at the foot of the cross, finding soaring moments of extraordinary beauty and consolation in the heart-breaking drama of this most sorrowful of Christian texts. The Stabat Mater might be a 13th-century litany but in MacMillan’s hands it becomes a deeply personal and devastatingly immediate account of a mother’s anguish.

 Saturday 14 October 2023 at 4.30pm
St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney

PROGRAM

ANDERSON I Sing in My Heart*†
PÄRT Festina lente
PÄRT Fratres
BRINSMEAD Cantate Domino*†
MACMILLAN Stabat Mater**

* Concert premiere
† From 100 Minutes of New Australian Music Project
** Australian Premiere

This program will run for approximately 90 minutes, with no interval. 

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Chamber Singers
Sydney Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra

TICKETS

General Admission | $75
No Concessions or Youth prices
** Buy this concert with The Little Match Girl Passion for $140**
A booking fee of $8.95 applies.

Reviews: 

MacMillan’s Stabat Mater (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). (4.5/5 Stars). Limelight Magazine. Reviewed by Steve Moffatt on 16 October, 2023. Accessed 16 October, 2023. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs delivers a powerful and immaculate Australian premiere of one of this century’s greatest works.

Video Credit:

2023 MacMillan Stabat Mater & The Little Match Girl Passion. YouTube, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed October 9, 2023.

Image  Credit:

MacMillan's Stabat Mater. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

Australian Composers Andrew Anderson (L) and Daniel Brinsmead (R). Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

Resources:

MacMillan's Stabat Mater. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed July 10, 2023  (Available at this time)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue. 

BOOK TICKETS HERE

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House. 

 

(c) September 11, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' The Little Match Girl PASSION

Choral Singing / Choral Music

The Little Match Girl PASSION presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date: Saturday 14 October 7:30pm (2023)
Venue: Verbrugghen Hall, Conservatorium of Music, Sydney

"Lang's retelling of Hans Andersen's fairy tale is an entrancingly beautiful piece... what makes it so compelling is the haunting vocal writing."

~ The Guardian ~

 

 

 A modern reflection on a tragic fable - a passion for our time. 

In a Sydney Philharmonia Choirs first, they're presenting one of the most profound choral works of our time: David Lang’s Pulitzer prize-winning Little Match Girl Passion.

Lang takes Hans Christian Andersen’s dark tale – almost too despairing to be a children’s story – and views it through the lens of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, weaving its narrative of suffering and hope with commentary and reflections that heighten its emotional impact.

“There is no Bach in this piece,” says Lang, “and there is no Jesus.” Instead he substitutes the suffering of the Little Match Girl for Jesus’ suffering, “elevating her sorrow to a higher plane”.

Musically, The Little Match Girl Passion combines the clarity of unaccompanied voices with the antique aura of bells and drums, building a haunting sound world from the simplest of means. It’s impossible to hear this breathtaking music – this passion for our time – and be left unmoved.

To complement Lang’s 35-minute oratorio, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs have chosen music for choir and piano by Australian composers Luke Byrne and Naomi Crellin. VOX will perform this concert in the wonderful acoustics of Verbrugghen Hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Saturday 14 October 2023 at 7.30pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music

 

PROGRAM

BYRNE Four Songs from Grimm’s
BYRNE The Six Swans
CRELLIN Thrice Upon a Time*
LANG The Little Match Girl Passion

* Premiere
This program will run for approximately 70 minutes, without interval.

ARTISTS

Elizabeth Scott conductor
VOX
Luke Byrne piano
Sydney Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra

 

TICKETS

General admission | $75
No concessions or Youth prices
**Buy this concert with MacMillan’s Stabat Mater for $140**
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

Reviews: 

‘Clear as a bell’ VOX in an impressive performance. ClassicON. Reviewed by Daniel Kaan | Oct 15, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Chamber Groups, Choirs. 

SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS-VOX : THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL PASSION @VERBRUGGHEN HALL. 5 Stars.  Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by Paul Nolan, 16 October, 2023.

  Related Link:

David Lang – The Little Match Girl Passion | A day in the library | Ep. 5 |.  YouTube, uploaded by The Norwegian Soloists' Choir. The Norwegian Soloists' Choir (Det Norske Solistkor) and conductor Yuval Weinberg perform composer David Lang's "The Little Match Girl Passion", based on H. C. Andersens' fairytale The Little Match Girl (Piken med svovelstikkene). Accessed September 11, 2023. 

Video Credit:

2023 MacMillan Stabat Mater & The Little Match Girl Passion. YouTube, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed October 9, 2023.

Image  Credit:

The Little Match Girl PASSION. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

Australian Composers Luke Byrne (L) and Naomi Crellin (R). Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

 

Resources:

The Little Match Girl PASSION. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed August 11, 2023  (Available at this time)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue. 

 

BOOK TICKETS HERE

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House. 

 

(c) August 11, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: Orff's Carmina Burana (2023)

Choral Singing / Choral Music

Carl Orff's CARMINA BURANA presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date: Saturday 9 September 2023 at 2pm
Venue: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

 

Carmina Burana is a cantata composed in 1935 and 1936 by Carl Orff, based on poems from the medieval collection "Carmina Burana". Its full Latin title is Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris cantandae comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis. Its first performance was 8 June, 1937, at Oper Frankfurt.  

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is the blockbuster of the choral repertoire, the kind of music guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Its worldly – and occasionally naughty – texts were assembled by mediæval monks, but its flamboyant music is barely a century old. From the rousing chorus of “O Fortuna!” to the intrepid tenor (the inimitable Kanen Breen) voicing a roasting swan at the top of his range, Carmina Burana will take you on an exhilarating and often visceral journey through the rhythms of life.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs are also thrilled to present the concert premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s Human Waves. With words by fellow-pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska, it charts stories of struggle and success from the rich tapestry of Australia’s migrant history, finding inspiration in the diversity of cultures and traditions that make up our society.

Murrgumurrgu, by First Nations artist James Henry, takes its title from the Yuwaalaraay name for the ibis, which breeds on the Narran Lakes before coming to Sydney to find food.

The best-known song from Carmina Burana is “O Fortuna” (“Oh Fortune”), which serves as both prologue and epilogue. It frames the revelry of the three main movements with a stark warning about the power of luck and fate, offering the ancient image of a wheel of fortune that deals out triumph and disaster at random.

PROGRAM

HENRY Murrgumurrgu (Ibis)*†
KATS-CHERNIN Human Waves*†
ORFF Carmina Burana

* Concert premiere
† From 100 Minutes of New Australian Music Project

This program will run for approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
James Henry singer & composer
Lorina Gore soprano
Kanen Breen tenor
Hadleigh Adams baritone
Festival Chorus
River City Voices
Tamara-Anna Cislowska piano & librettist (Human Waves)
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

PRE-CONCERT TALK

Come to the Northern Foyer from 1pm to hear SPC Chorister and 2MBS Fine Music presenter Peter Poole chat with Human Waves librettist Tamara-Anna Cislowska and Murrgumurrgu composer James Henry. Grab a drink at the bar and enjoy this free, 30-minute talk, with plenty of time to find your seat for the 2pm concert.

Seating is on the carpeted stairs in the Northern Foyer.
Access the Northern Foyer via the new tunnel from the Southern Foyer.

• Saturday 9 September: 1:15PM-1:45PM
• Concert Hall, Northern Foyer stairs

 

2023 Pre-Concert Talks are made possible with the support of 2MBS Fine Music.

Reviews: 

Carmina Burana (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). 4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟Limelight Magazine. Accessed September 11, 2023.

Carmina Burana-Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Orchestra. Reviewed by Shirley Politzer. JWire.com.au. Accessed September 13, 2023.

SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS : CARMINA BURANA @SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE. 5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by Paul Nolan.  Accessed September 13, 2023.

 

 

 

Related Links:

Carl Orff. Inspired Pen Web. 

Carmina Burana (Orff). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed July 10, 2023.

Carl Orff - O Fortuna ~ Carmina Burana. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Robert Shaw. Artwork: Irudiak - Joseph Mallord William Turner. YouTube, uploaded by Beatriz. Accessed July 10, 2023.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Carl Off's Carmina Burana 2021. Inspired Pen Web.

Video Credit:

Carmina Burana 2023 Version 2. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.  O Fortuna! Carl Orff’s 'Carmina Burana' is the blockbuster of the choral world, the kind of music that will keep you on the edge of your seat with its rousing choruses and wicked humour. Elena Kats-Chernin’s 'Human Waves' offers something completely new from one of Australia’s most popular composers, inspired by the rich tapestry of our migrant history. And Yuwaalaraay compsoer James Henry paints a fond portrait of the ibis in 'Murrgumurrgu'.  YouTube, accessed August 10, 2023.

Resources:

Orff's Carmina Burana. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed July 10, 2023  (Available at this time)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue. 

 

TICKETS

Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House. 

 

(c) July 10, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' ChorusOz 2023: MAHLER 8

Choral Singing / Choral Music

 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Presents

ChorusOz 2023: MAHLER 8

Sunday 11 June 2023, 5 P.M.
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House 

“Imagine the whole universe beginning to sing and resound. These are no longer human voices, but coursing planets and suns.”
Gustav Mahler

It's again that time of the year in June when hundreds of passionate singers join the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs choristers for the annual ChorusOz weekend of singing, fun and friendship, finishing with a performance on the world-famous Sydney Opera House Concert Hall with a professional orchestra and soloists.

ChorusOz – Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' annual “big sing” – brings together a community of singers from across Australia and around the world for an exhilarating weekend of intensive music-making. And this time, as ChorusOz returns after a three-year hiatus, we’re going bigger and better than ever before with a complete performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, his “Symphony of a Thousand”.

Sydney Philharmonia sets sights on a “symphony of a thousand” – literally! ChorusOz will be joined by eight renowned Australian soloists, a children’s chorus and an orchestra of more than a hundred, and you’re invited to join us as we rehearse and perform Mahler 8 in the inspirational surrounds of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

Mahler’s Eighth Symphony was the first choral symphony to make the voices completely integral to the music – the singing almost never stops. The great composer offered the Eighth as an expression of confidence in the eternal human spirit. This is truly a big sing – universal in scope, a celebration of the Creative Spirit and the redemptive power of love. And whether you’re in the audience or part of the thousand-voice choir on stage, ChorusOz 2023 promises an unforgettable and life changing experience.

Sunday 11 June 2023 at 5pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

PROGRAM

MAHLER Symphony No. 8
“Symphony of a Thousand”

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Anna-Louise Cole soprano (Magna peccatrix)
Maija Kovalevska soprano (Una poenitentium)
Celeste Lazarenko soprano (Mater gloriosa)
Sian Sharp mezzo-soprano (Mulier samaritana)
Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano (Maria ægyptiaca)
Diego Torre tenor (Doctor Marianus)
Michael Honeyman baritone (Pater ecstaticus)
Christopher Richardson bass (Pater profundus)
ChorusOz 2023
Children’s Chorus
The Sydney Youth Orchestra
with members of Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

TICKETS

Premium $85
Concessions $77
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

ChorusOz for singers takes place on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June. Register below to participate – no prior experience required.

 

Related Links:

Gustav Mahler. Inspired Pen Web. 

Mahler Symphony 8. Inspired Pen Web

 

Photo Credit:

Mahler 8 (Ad). Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

 

Video Credit: 

ChorusOz 2023. Accessed June 2, 2023.  

ChorusOz Mahler 8. Accessed June 2, 2023.

ChorusOz | Mahler 8 . V1. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed June 2, 2023

 

Resources:

1. ChorusOz 2023. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed June 2, 2023. (Available at the time of access.) 
2. ChorusOz Online Program. 
3. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs 2023 Season Catalogue. Voice. Energy. JOY. 

BOOK TICKETS HERE

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PROGRAM HERE

REGISTER FOR CHORUSOZ HERE

COVID-19 SAFETY AT OUR CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Please note that we regularly update our guidelines based on health advice available at the time.

 

(c) June 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: Verdi's Requiem

Choral Singing / Sacred Music: Requiem

VERDI'S REQUIEM presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date: Saturday 20 May 2023 at 2pm
Venue: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs lifts the roof of the Sydney Opera House with Verdi’s Requiem – music’s most awesome mass for the dead. Like any of his operas, Verdi offers the full range emotions in his music – from dramatic terror to heart-melting serenity – and gives us a deeply personal expression of grief. In front of the powerful 350-voice Festival Chorus and Sydney Philhamonia Orchestra are four of Australia’s leading opera stars, all conducted by artistic and music director Brett Weymark.

Ten minutes into Verdi’s Requiem, the “Dies irae” (Day of Wrath) thunders through the hall, carrying all who hear it on a wave of terror as Verdi dials the drama up to 11. At the other extreme is the anguish of the weeping “Lacrymosa” and the gleaming serenity of the “Lux aeterna” (Light Eternal). Verdi has given us a musical expression of grief that’s both deeply intimate and supremely spectacular and that combination is what makes his Requiem one of the best-loved choral works in the repertoire.

 

Verdi’s Requiem might be funeral music – a mass for the dead – but its emotional impact, and the sheer drama of the music, is equal to a night at the opera. So if you love his operas (think Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aida…) join us to experience the genius of his Requiem with our biggest choir, the Festival Chorus, stars of the Australian opera stage and the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra in full force.

PROGRAM

Verdi's Requiem

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Maija Kovalevska soprano
Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano
Diego Torre tenor
David Greco bass
Festival Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

 

PRE-CONCERT TALK

Come to the Northern Foyer from 1pm to hear 2MBS Fine Music presenter Ross Hayes speak about Verdi’s Requiem. This talk is made possible with the support of 2MBS Fine Music. Grab a drink at the bar and enjoy this free, 30-minute talk, with plenty of time to find your seat for the 2pm concert.

Seating is on the carpeted stairs in the Northern Foyer.
Access the Northern Foyer via the new tunnel from the Southern Foyer.

• Saturday 20 May: 1:15PM-1:45PM
• Concert Hall, Northern Foyer stairs

 

Reviews: 

Verdi’s Requiem: A concert review by Shirley Politzer. May 24, 2023 by Shirley Politzer.  "Supporting the wonderful soloists is the very capable Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus, which filled four boxes around the stage. They were able to use their voices successfully to create the mood required as well as sing in a fugal style or single-line melody. They were also a visual pleasure in how they sat and stood all together and held their folders-something I believe is as important as their singing.  Brett Weymark, artistic and music director of the Sydney Philharmonic Choirs and Orchestra, had full command of the 50 orchestra members, 330 odd choir surrounding him, and the four soloists, leaving nothing to chance." Accessed 25 MAy 2023.

VERDI’S REQUIEM WITH SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS. 5 Stars.  Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by Annabelle Drumm, 21 May 2023. "Lead by Artistic Director Brett Weymark, the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra and combined choirs of 350 voices were out in full force. It’s a work that starkly highlights each area of the orchestra in their moments of magic and the musicians fully embraced each opportunity."  Accessed 22 May 2023.

Related Links:

Requiem (Verdi).  en.wikipedia.org

Verdi's Requiem (Messa de Requiem). Inspired Pen Web.

Video Credit:

2023 Verdi's Requiem 2.  Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.  Experience the drama and emotional power of Verdi’s Requiem, from the sky-shattering terror of the Dies Irae to the sublime, heart melting Lacrymosa. Four of Australia's leading opera stars and the 350+ voices of our Festival Chorus fill the Sydney Opera House Concert in this single matinee performance.  YouTube, accessed April 20, 2023.

 

Photo Credit:

 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs / Keith Saunders.

Resources:

Verdi's Requiem. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed April 6, 2023 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue. 

 

Tickets:

Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House. 

(c) April 20, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Handel's SAMSON

Choral Singing / Musicals

Handel's Samson presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date:  Saturday 8 April 2023, 7pm
Venue: Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall

Raise the roof, bring down the temple - with Handel's mightiest oratorio!

Samson, Judge of Israel, married a Philistine woman, Dalila, who discovered that his supernatural strength derived from his never cutting his hair. Dalila shore his hair while he was sleeping and betrayed him to her people, the Philistines, enemy of the Israelites. The Philistines captured Samson and put his eyes out.

In “Let the Bright Seraphim,” an Israelite woman calls upon heavenly hosts to commemorate Samson's heroic death and triumph over the Philistines. The piece is an example of the archetypal genre of Baroque vocal music, the da capo aria.

"Let the bright Seraphim in
burning row their loud uplifted
angel-trumpets blow.

Let the cherubic host, in tuneful
choir, touch their immortal
harps with golden wire.

Let the bright Seraphim in
burning row their loud uplifted
angel-trumpets blow."

 

Hot on the heels of Messiah, Handel embarked on another masterpiece: a new oratorio on the story of Samson, the Bible’s original muscle man. Samson was composed shortly after Handel's most famous work Messiah and consolidates the German composer's turn from Italian opera to the development of the English oratorio.This is Biblical drama at its very best – vividly imagined music composed with the finest actor-singers in mind, an opera in all but name.

Handel plunges into the action: we meet Samson, already shorn and blinded, living in a “total eclipse”, a broken prisoner of the Philistines. And over three acts, the music traces a psychological drama that ends with the destruction of the temple and the hero’s ultimate redemption. This great but all too rarely performed oratorio shows Handel’s gift for musical characterisation with rousing choruses for devout Israelites and decadent Philistines, and exquisite arias, ranging from Dalila’s alluring music to the rejoicing sounds of “Let the bright Seraphim”, the much-loved highlight.

For Samson, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Symphony Chorus, some favourite soloists and a massive orchestra (by baroque standards) will unite under the baton of Maestro Brett Weymark to bring the theatre into the concert hall. 

Saturday 8 April 2023 at 1pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Running Time: This performance will run for 3 hours including one 20-minute interval.

Image: Conductor Brett Weymark, soloists, Symphony Chorus, and the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra in this very special Easter weekend matinee concert.  

 

PROGRAM

Deborah Cheetham Fraillon  & Matthew Doyle Tarimi Nulay - Long time living here* 

George Frideric HANDEL Samson 

* Commissioned for SPC's 100 Minutes of New Australian Music project

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Alexander Lewis tenor (Samson)
Celeste Lazarenko soprano (Israelite Woman, Dalila)
Russell Harcourt countertenor (Micah)
Christopher Richardson bass‑baritone (Manoa)
Andrew O’Connor bass (Harapha)
Symphony Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

Tickets:

Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

Reviews: 

Great Praise for Samson. ClassikON. by Daniel Kaan | Apr 9, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Choirs, Music Directors & Conductors, Orchestras

Handel’s Samson Sydney Philharmonia Choir. Opera House Concert Hall. April 8, 2023. The Sydney Morning Herald.  Reviewed by Peter  McCallum. ★★★★  Reviewed alongside other performances.

 

Handel’s Samson: A music review by Shirley Politzer. J-Wire. April 10, 2023 by Shirley Politzer

 

Samson (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs).  Sydney Philharmonia Choirs celebrates a significant milestone with blazing performance of Handel's Samson, with soloists and choir on top form.  Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House.  ★★★★★  Reviewed on 8 April, 2023  by Steve Moffatt on 10 April, 2023

Related Links:

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sings Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim". YouTube, uploaded byDame Kiri Lover. Accessed March 24, 2023.

Handel Oratorio Samson. Inspired Pen Web.  Accessed March 24, 2023.

Video Credit:

2023 Handel's Samson V1 - YouTube. 2023 Season, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 24, 2023.

2023 Handel's Samson V2 - YouTube. 2023 Season, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 24, 2023.

Resources:

Brett Weymark Conducts HANDEL'S SAMSON at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Broadway World. Accessed March 24, 2023.

Handel's Samson. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed MArch 24, 2023 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. SPC regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House. 

 

(c) March 24, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' The Golden Age of Broadway

 Choral Singing / Musicals

 

The GOLDEN AGE of BROADWAY presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date:  Saturday 6 May 2023, 7pm
Venue: Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall

Note: This Concert Hall performance will be broadcast live to a ticketed audience on the Forecourt, as part of Inside/Out at the House, celebrating 50 years of the Sydney Opera House. Find out more at Sydneyoperahouse.com 

All the classic favourites in a dazzling tribute to the great Broadway musicals. 

 

What’s playin’ at The Roxy? I’ll tell ya what’s playin’ at The Roxy!

For one night only the Sydney Opera House will go back to a time of lush orchestrations, toe-tapping tunes, and those catchy songs that changed the shape of musical theatre for decades to come.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will light up the stage with over 100 choristers, a star-studded cast of vocalists, and bring the Golden Age of Broadway back to life with the brilliant music of Leonard Bernstein, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and more.

As part of the Inside/Out at the House classical festival celebrating the Sydney Opera House 50^th Anniversary, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Orchestra will present a stunning concert inside in the Concert Hall –  whilst also being broadcast to an audience on the Forecourt.

Music was the salve that healed the wounds of 1940’s America, a time in dire need of laughter and lightness – and composers answered the call with upbeat sing-a-long musicals such as On the Town and Kiss Me, Kate while stars like Gertrude Lawrence and Danny Kaye lit up the stage.

The Golden Age reached its zenith in the 1950s when audiences filled the theatres to see the likes of Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady with their unforgettable tunes and dancing. In the 1960s, as the Sydney Opera House was taking shape on the other side of the world, Broadway’s audiences thrilled to Hello Dolly, Mame and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. It’s high energy, optimistic music that puts the choir in the spotlight!

Sit back and watch the house lights dim, and as the first notes unfold be transported to the Golden Age of Broadway.

Saturday 6 May | 7pm
Concert Hall | Sydney Opera House
And broadcast to the Forecourt

PROGRAM

An evening of dreamy choruses and beloved songs from the Broadway musicals that shaped our times, including Guys & Dolls, Oklahoma, Gypsy, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady, and more*.

*Please note, this program may be subject to change.

 
The performance will run for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one 20-minute interval.

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark Conductor
Virginia Gay
Georgina Hopson
Kanen Breen
Alexander Lewis
Symphony Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

BOOK TICKETS HERE

This Concert Hall performance will be broadcast live to a ticketed audience on the Forecourt, as part of Inside/Out at the House, celebrating 50 years of the Sydney Opera House. Find out more at sydneyoperahouse.com

 

Image: Conductor Brett Weymark, soloists, Symphony Chorus, and the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra.   

 

Reviews:

Golden Age of Broadway a Bewitching Show.  ClassikON.  Reviewed by Jacqui Smith | May 7, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Choirs, Music Directors & Conductors, Orchestras.  Accessed May 9, 2023.

Golden age of Broadway -A music review by Shirley Politzer.  J-Wire.  May 10, 2023. Accessed May 10, 2023.

Review: The Golden Age of Broadway is Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Contribution to The Sydney Opera House's Inside/Out At The House Season. broadwayworld.com.  Reviewed by Jade Kops. Accessed May 7, 2023.

The Golden Age of Broadway. Stage Whispers. Reviewed by Carol Wimmer. Accessed May 7, 2023.

The Golden Age of Broadway (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). 4.5/5 Stars.  The stars come out for a night of popular music that sends its audience out on a high. Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. Reviewed by Deborah Jones.  May 7, 2023

Related Links:

Broadway: The American Musical. Inspired Pen Web.

New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve: Bernstein on Broadway. YouTube, uploaded by rayray10. Accessed April 26, 2023. The New York Philharmonic celebrates the centennial of the late Leonard Bernstein, its fabled Musical Director from 1958 to 1969. Led by Bramwell Tovey, with special guests Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit, this loving tribute promises to become a classical music moment to remember.

Oscar Hammerstein II. Inspired Pen Web.

Richard Rodgers. Inspired Pen Web.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Bernstein's Candide. Inspired Pen Web

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Bernstein's Wonderful Town. Inspired Pen Web.

Video Credit:

Videos are provided by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. 

 

Photo Credit:

 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs / Keith Saunders, Harvey House, Kate Williams, Alex Smiles, Amelia Dowd.

Resources:

The Golden Age of Broadway. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed April 6, 2023 

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue. 

Tickets:

Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS

Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. SPC regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House. 

 

(c) April 6, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.