Over 500 singers to perform historic choir at Sydney Opera House

• Sydney Opera House has locked in a very rare performance for one of the most endearing and profound choirs in history.
• Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will perform Sir Michal Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time” on September 13.
• The matinee show will feature over 500 singers in one of the most ambitious choirs Sydney has seen in years.
• READ MORE: The Book of Mormon is back in Sydney and it’s better than ever.

One of the most significant and enduring compositions of our time is about to make a rare appearance at Sydney Opera House, with British composer Sir Michal Tippett’s profound “A Child of Our Time” filling the Concert Hall on the afternoon of Saturday, September 13—courtesy of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

The powerful oratorio first premiered during World War II, instantly acclaimed as a piece of equal value to Benjamin Britten’s iconic “War Requiem,” with a similar conceit expressing an artist’s fury and despair at humanity’s capacity for evil.

Some of the most talented soloists in Oceania are being assembled for the one-day-only occasion, including Yorta Yorta soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, ARIA-winning baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, and tenor Nicholas Jones. They will form part of a choir of over 500 singers with a full orchestra led by Music Director Brett Weymark OAM.

This is only the third time Weymark has ever led a rendition of “A Child of Our Time” in Australia, initially performing it in the aftermath of September 11 and then again at Adelaide Festival in 2021, at a time when international borders were as easy to close as a sliding door.

The deeply confronting and dynamic work obviously arrives a time of geopolitical uncertainty and a general sense of foreboding, adding to the potency of such a masterwork. Sydney Opera House is treating the occasion with the attention it deserves, as well. The opening half of the matinee concert will present two new works by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and associate Music Director Elizabeth Scott. Before that: a free 30-minute pre-concert talk where the music of this program will be unpacked and examined.

For those who love the high-culture coo of the Sydney Opera House, this ambitious choral program is one of the most exclusive concerts the venue has secured this year. And you’ve only got one shot to see it all with “A Child of our Time” locked in for 2pm on Saturday, December 13.

Something else exciting? Seeing such a memerising show will only set you back $45. At at time when blockbuster concerts are getting ludicrously expensive (with prices largely unregulated), being able to see something extraordinary for less than $50 is a steal. If you’re under 30, you’ll only have to pay $30.

A Child of our Time

Address: Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 9250 7111

sydneyoperahouse.com

Photo by Keith Saunders / supplied.