2022 | Welcome
Whether they come from centuries past, or were composed two weeks ago, telling stories through music is at the heart of what the Sydney Chamber Choir does. Each story offers us different perspectives, something which seems especially important at the moment.
We begin with one version of the beginning – Haydn’s epic vision of the forming of the world in his oratorio The Creation. We are delighted to perform this work with our friends at the Australian Haydn Ensemble, both in Canberra and Sydney in late April and early May.
In June’s Innocence & Experience, we explore the beautiful acoustic of the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s newly opened performance space, The Neilson at Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay. This program draws on two staples of the Sydney Chamber Choir tradition – music of the Renaissance and works by Australian composers commissioned by the choir. The music and ideas of Josquin, Dufay and Ockeghem rub shoulders with pieces by Ross Edwards, Clare Maclean, Josephine Gibson and Dan Walker.
In September, we present Paul Stanhope’s Requiem in Goulburn as part of the Hume Chamber Music Festival. Even for an ensemble and audience committed to new music, the premiere of this work in 2021 felt like a watershed moment for Australian choral music. We are thrilled to perform this work again and encourage you to join us in Goulburn to experience its beauty.
In November’s Light & Shade, we travel back to the Baroque era in northern Germany – the exquisite music of JS Bach and his most significant predecessor, Heinrich Schütz, in his 350th anniversary year. Joined by the Muffat Collective, we will pair well-known favourites such as Bach’s Lobet den Herren with a hidden gem from Franz Tunder, culminating in Schütz’s glorious Musikalische Exequien.
Throughout 2022, we continue our tradition of championing new choral music and, in particular, the music of women composers. In February, we give the world premiere performance of a new song cycle by Kate Reid about Daniel Solander, the Swedish botanist who accompanied James Cook on his first Pacific voyage. We will record a new work by Heather Percy for the ABC in March and premiere works by Ella Macens and Brooke Shelley commissioned by the Choir in June and November.
We invite you to join us for a year of beautiful music.
Sam Allchurch
Artistic Director
