Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Announce 2021 Season

One of the first choral groups in the world to recommence operations post-COVID, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs are set to launch into the new year with an uplifting program of music from the Baltic region, including Arvo Pärt's luminous Berliner Messe.

Woven into the concert, two new Australian compositions will have their world-premiere performances: Lux æterna by VOX member Aija Draguns, who brings her own Latvian heritage; and Matthew Orlovich's Joyful, Joyful!, originally commissioned by the Sydney Philharmonia as part of their 2020 centenary year.

The hour-long concert will open with Deborah Cheetham and Matthew Doyle's Tarimi nulay - Long time living here, an evocative Acknowledgement of Country written and performed in Gadigal language, also commissioned by the Choirs in 2020, with the intention that the work be performed at the opening of every concert they perform on Gadigal land.

Presented in Sydney's iconic St Andrews Cathedral, Berliner Messe, promises an inspirational afternoon of music, performed by Sydney Philharmonia's acclaimed young adult choir, VOX, conducted by Elizabeth Scott and backed by the virtuoso musicians of the Sydney Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.

Book now for Saturday March 13, performances at 2pm and 5pm. tickets.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/

With their full 2021 Concert Season now in place, the Philharmonia is also excited to share some of the highlights originally planned for their centenary celebrations, brought forward to the current year.

Several of their cancelled 2020 concerts have now been re-scheduled - see details below;

And interwoven within the year, you will find the world-premiere performances of 100 Minutes of New Australian Music, commissioned by the Choirs as part of their centenary program.

A highlight of the season is sure to be the mainstage premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin's Human Waves: a major composition for choir and orchestra reflecting on the rich legacy of Australia's migrant history, created in collaboration with Tamara Anna Cislowska. This stunning nine-part work will be performed live for the first time as part of A Choral Celebration, following its pared-back digital launch in September last year.

Plus there will be new works from Brooke Shelley, Joseph Twist, James Henry, Nardi Simpson, Andrew Anderson, Maria Lopes, Daniel Brinsmead and Will Yaxley.

It's 100 Minutes of New Australian Music, give or take a bar or two.

Tickets to each concert will go on sale six weeks prior to the event. Mark these dates in your diaries and get ready to experience world-class performances of -

St John Passion ReImagined

1pm & 7pm Saturday 3rd April at The Concourse, Chatswood

Tickets on sale Thursday 4th March

Carmina Burana

3pm Saturday 22nd May at Sydney Town Hall

Tickets on sale Monday 12th April

A Choral Celebration

3pm Saturday 24th July at Sydney Town Hall

Tickets on sale Monday 14th June

Elijah

3pm Saturday 11th September at Sydney Town Hall

Tickets on sale Monday 2nd August

ChorusOz: Verdi Requiem

5pm Sunday 3rd October at Sydney Town Hall

Tickets on sale Monday 23rd August

Night of the Soul

7.30pm Friday 19th November and 5pm Saturday 20th November at Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House

Tickets on sale Monday 11th October

For full program information go to sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/concerts/2021-season/

Connect with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs at facebook.com/sydneyphilharmonia | youtube.com/user/SydneyPhilharmonia1

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