Sydney Chamber Choir

Sunday September 6 2009, 6:00PM

Two of the eternal glories of the Baroque in a single concert: Bach’s Magnificat and Vivaldi’s Gloria. These choral favourites spring to life under the direction of Baroque specialist Graham Abbott, with four shining solo voices plus the talented young musicians of the Sydney Conservatorium’s Early Music Ensemble. Jubilant choruses, exquisite arias, plus the world premiere of a new Magnificat setting by Australian composer Andrew Schultz – join Sydney Chamber Choir as we raise hearts and voices in music of pure joy.

Saturday June 27 2009, 7:30PM

Guitar superstar Slava Grigoryan joins Sydney Chamber Choir for an evening of Spanish fire. From whispering lullabies to wild flamenco, the guitar conjures whole worlds of emotion. Add the infinite subtleties of the human voice, and the stage is set for passion! The sensuous gypsy moods of the Romancero Gitano are at the heart of this musical feast; also on the menu, two Australian lullabies arranged for choir and guitar by composers Peter Sculthorpe and Gerard Brophy, and a rich spread of Spanish Renaissance music.

Saturday April 11 2009, 7:30PM

Three musical centuries, three faces of Easter. Grief, hope and wonder collide and blossom into music of melting beauty as Mary the mother of Christ watches her son’s agony on the cross in Scarlatti’s rarely performed Baroque masterpiece, the Stabat Mater for ten-part choir. The solemn dignity and anguished sorrow of mourning are honoured in the sublime Mass for the Dead of Spanish Renaissance master Tomás Luis de Victoria. Australian composer Anne Boyd draws our gaze out of the darkness into the light of Easter Day with a new work based on ancient plainsong melodies. An unforgettable journey into the innermost riches of lush choral sound.

Saturday November 8 2008, 7:30PM

From ancient music to the sounds of today, you’ll be caught up in the spell of this concert inspired by the transcendent rhythms of dance and chant, and featuring guest artists Match Percussion. The driving energy of Steve Reich, the irrepressible joy of Ross Edwards, the mystical passion of Hildegard of Bingen – this is music on fire!

Saturday September 6 2008, 7:30PM

Wrap yourself in the richest choral sound ever created: Thomas Tallis’s incomparable 40-voice motet Spem in alium. Sydney Chamber Choir joins with the award-winning University of Newcastle Chamber Choir in a rare performance of this 16th-century miracle, with other Renaissance favourites including Allegri’s Miserere, and contemporary works inspired by their perfection.

Tuesday May 6 2008, 11:00AM

For its debut performance in Musica Viva’s Coffee Concerts series, Sydney Chamber Choir, with Musical Director Paul Stanhope, will perform Renaissance madrigals with (northern hemisphere) spring connections, as well as contrasting Australian works, also with a nature theme. Movements from Byrd’s great a cappella mass in four parts will be interspersed throughout the concert.

For further details of the Coffee Concert series, click here.

Sunday March 16 2008, 6:00PM

Mozart’s Requiem is music of pure gold – shining genius, radiant beauty, profound humanity. Richard Gill conducts Sydney Chamber Choir in a new completion of the Requiem by Australian composer Gordon Kerry: canticles featuring the exquisite delicacy of children’s voices are woven into the familiar fabric of Mozart’s masterpiece. An unforgettable concert experience.

This concert was supported by 2MBS-FM through its ‘Sparkling 102.5’ promotion in conjunction with selected performances at City Recital Hall.

Saturday November 17 2007, 7:30PM

Music of the spheres… Works from across the centuries, celebrating the timeless glory of the heavens. Includes music by Byrd, Palestrina and Tallis, a new piece by young Sydney-based composer Paul Witney, and a distinctly Australian view of the heavens with music from Ross Edwards’ Southern Cross Chants.

Sunday August 19 2007, 3:30PM

The closing concert of the Festival features Vivaldi Gloria and Byrd Mass for Four voices, along with works of Peteris Vasks and Paul Stanhope.

Saturday August 18 2007, 3:30PM

Concert five of the Bangalow Festival features Sydney Chamber Choir in concert with the Bangalow Festival Chyamber Orchestra, and four fine soloists. The program includes two Bach Cantatas, and the Choral “Wenn ich einmal soll Scheiden” from the St Matthew Passion.

Saturday June 30 2007, 7:30PM

King David’s lament over the death of his son Absalom inspired some of the most poignant music ever written. This concert features music by the Renaissance composers Weelkes, Tomkins and Dering, and early Baroque masters Schein and Schütz, together with more recent explorations of a father’s grief by Gustav Holst and Jennifer Fowler, and the world premiere of a new work commissioned by Australian composer Nigel Butterley.

Sunday April 1 2007, 5:00PM

Out of the darkness and terror of the Second World War came Kodály’s vibrant, life-affirming Missa Brevis. Arvo Pärt’s De Profundis, written in the shadow of communist oppression in the Soviet Union, traces a journey from despair to transcendent joy. Pizzetti’s setting of the mass for the dead draws on the ancient traditions of plainsong to weave a profoundly moving and ultimately uplifting musical experience.

Saturday December 16 2006, 8:00PM

An evening of cabaret fun, with songs to raise a smile and even a chuckle or two. Madcap music of PDQ Bach and Martin Wesley-Smith along with old favourites from Irving Berlin and George Gershwin.

Saturday September 9 2006, 8:00PM

Sunday April 9 2006, 8:00PM

The highlight of the 2006 concert season, and Nicholas Routley’s final concert as Musical Director of the Sydney Chamber Choir.

Saturday December 17 2005, 8:00PM

Friday April 18 2003, 8:00PM

Fauré Requiem and Mozart Solemn Vespers with a capella works by Poulenc and Messaien (repeated Sunday 20/4/03 6pm).