Sydney Philharmonia Choirs To Perform 2025 Season Opener I WAS GLAD This April

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs to perform 2025 season opener, I Was Glad- Cathedral Classics in Sydney, Bathurst, and Goulburn.

Be transported to London’s St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey, with this divine program of hymns and anthems drawn from the rich repertoire of England’s much-loved cathedral tradition, brought to life by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs acclaimed 140-voice Symphony Chorus and special guest, internationally acclaimed Australian organist David Drury, under the baton of Brett Weymark OAM. 

Throughout history the English cathedral has come to symbolise a place of solace and sanctuary. It is also home to a rich choral tradition that has, for centuries, charmed and captivated visitors of all nationalities and beliefs. 

In this exquisite concert, marking the opening of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs 2025 Season, Weymark conjures the transcendent beauty of the cathedral experience, drawing on three centuries of sacred music from English composers, past and present, to uplift and inspire. 

From Hubert Parry’s I Was Glad – one of the world’s all-time great anthems, performed at every British coronation since 1902 – to compositions by Edward Elgar, John Ireland, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roxanna Panufnik, Gerald Finzi, Cecilia McDowall, William Harris, Edgar Bainton, Howard Goodall, William Henry Monk, Edward Bairstow and Henry Balfour Gardiner; this is music for grand occasions, enjoyed by television audiences in their billions as the soundtrack to royal weddings, jubilees and funerals. 

Composed for the cathedral setting, many of these great works showcase the full majesty of choir and organ, and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is delighted to be joined by one of the most gifted organists in the country, Sydney-based David Drury. 

Recently returned from a triumphant tour to the UK and Paris with St Paul’s College Chapel Choir (he is, amongst other roles, Director of Music Emeritus at St Paul’s College at the University of Sydney), the maestro is set to put the Sydney Opera House’s impressive grand organ through its paces, taking the audience through the full gamut of emotions of the cathedral experience, from quiet reflection to pageantry and pomp. 

To close this beautiful concert, the Choirs are excited to present the Australian premiere of A Season to Sing: a choral re-imagining of Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons, written by British composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. Co-commissioned by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs in collaboration with 54 other choirs worldwide, A Season to Sing – as with Four Seasons – exists in four parts named after the seasons. In I Was Glad: Cathedral Classics, the Choirs present Spring and Summer; with Autumn and Winter to be performed as part of the concert, Lost Birds at White Bay Power Station later this year. 

Celebrate Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ season opening concert in truly grand style. Book now for the one-off Sydney performance,7pm Tuesday April 1 in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/cathedral/. 

Sydney ticket holders are also invited to a free pre-concert talk on the Concert Hall’s’ Northern Foyer stairs, commencing at 6.15pm. Grab a drink at the bar and join 2MBS Fine Music presenter Nina Fudala in conversation with featured composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, for this free 30-minute presentation, with plenty of time to find your seat for the concert. 

The Choirs will present I Was Glad: Cathedral Classics in two of regional New South Wales great cathedrals, each with magnificent organs and perfectly suited to this grand music. 

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