Sydney Opera House just announced SongRites, a new three-day series that will showcase First Nations artists

• Sydney Opera House has announced a brand-new four-day series this morning.
• SongRites: the September storytelling series will showcase a selection of First Nations artists.
• The program comprises live performances, conversations and short film screenings.

Hot off the press this morning, Sydney Opera House will present a new platform for First Nations communities and artists in a four-day series coming in September.

Taking over the Western Foyer venues from September 3 to 6, a stellar lineup of First Nations artists will showcase their connections to Country in a celebration of songlines, storytelling, culture and language. It’s a rare opportunity to connect with regional and remote First Nations cultures at Sydney’s most famous landmark.

SongRites is a celebration of the diverse and constantly evolving cultures that have thrived across the continent for millennia. The extraordinary artists we’ve assembled harness modern disciplines to share ancient traditions and languages in powerful ways using music, dance, screen and ceremony.

— Michael Hutchings, head of First Nations programming at Sydney Opera House

SongRites 2025: The full program

Starting on Wednesday, September 3 and running until Saturday, September 6, the SongRites program is varied and diverse, with activities and events for all

September 3:

FILM: SongRites Short Films – 8:15pm, $10

Taking place in the Playhouse, four powerful short films by First Nations storytellers from regional communities will be show at the opening evening event. The lineup includes:

• Katele (Mudskipper) — Martha is a weary Torres Strait Islander woman whose monotonour laundromat job takes a surreal turn when a mysterious visitor, Katele, appears. The film won Best Australian Short at its Flickerfest Premiere in 2023.
• Bala — A former navy officer reunites with his cousins to grieve the death of his much loved Grandfather and the breakup of a relationship, leading him to question his significance. Directed by former senior artist and choreographer at Bangarra, Deborah Brown, it was selected for various film festivals including Toronto’s ImagineNATIVE Film Festival and Brisbane International Film Festival.
• The Djarn Djarns — This heartfelt story of friendship, culture and loss is centred on four young First Nations boys in a traditional dance group. On the anniversary of Franky’s father’s death, grief disrupts their plan for a performance.
• Jarda Bura, Gurri Bura, Jarda Ngarli, Gurri Ngarli (Senior Woman, Young Woman) — A powerful reflection on the strength of women, told through the intimate intergenerational relationships between mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters and aunties.

September 4:

FILM: Wrong Side of the Road – 6pm, $30

Watch the classic 80s documentary-style drama that follows the Indigenous bands Us Mob and No Fixed Address as they move from gig to gig. Blending dramatisation with real events, it captures the energy of life on tour while exposing the racism, hostility and harassment the musicians faced.

PERFORMANCE: Song Spirals – 7:30pm, $45.90

Performing in Sydney for the first time, this evocative show was created and choreographed by celebrated artist Rosealee Pearson. Dance, music, mesmerising projections and ancient rhythms and songs of the Milkarri weave together to transport audiences to the heart of Yolŋu country. It will also be performed on Saturday, September 6.

September 5:

CONVERSATION: Crying the Land to Life: A Journey into Yolngu Women’s Song Spirals — 5:30pm, $10

Join co-authors Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs and Djawandil Maymuru in conversation with Rosealee Pearson and Elizabeth Weiss for a powerful discussion on Song Spirals, the award-winning work by the Gay’wu Group of Women. The speakers will explore how songlines are used to pass down ancestral knowledge, stories and laws, and reveal the collaborative process that created the book.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING: Square Circles — 6:30pm, free.

Fusing digital storytelling, visual art and evocative music, this free installation is a collaborative effort between William Barton, long-time friend and violist Stephen King, and the Australian String Quartet. Set to a score performed and recorded by Barton and the Australian String Quartet, the work premiered in a pop-up ‘dome’ at the Queen’s Theatre in Adelaide, and has been reimagined for the Sydney Opera House.

PERFORMANCE: Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing) — 7pm, $49.90

The Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Gudanji and Marra languages are critically endangered, but this musical project is a passionate reclamation. The deeply moving tracks are sung in the languages, tied to the Gulf of Carpentaria and its people. Each song is a tribute to the strength of women and the enduring spirit of the region. It’s a living archive of culture, language and identity, crafted in close collaboration with language custodians and the Borroloola Songwomen. Esteemed singer-songwriter and proud Yanyuwa woman, Dr Shellie Morris AO, reconnects with her heritage while amplifying the voices of the community.

September 6:

PERFORMANCE: Song Spirals — 1:30pm, $45.90

The second of its performances in Sydney for the first time, this evocative dance was created and choreographed by celebrated artist Rosealee Pearson. Dance, music, mesmerising projections and ancient rhythms and songs of the Milkarri weave together to transport audiences to the heart of Yolŋu country. It will also be performed on Thursday, September 4.

CONVERSATION: Singing Up Country: Stories, Songlines & Sisterhood — 3pm, $10

An extension of Arrkula Yinbayarra, this intimate panel discussion with the Borroloola women offers a glimpse inside the journey of creating their new album on Country. Through photos, video and personal reflections, the women share their creative journey and a rare behind-the-scenes look at life in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria. They also explore the legacy of the groundbreaking first recording by their grandmothers, mothers and aunties.

PERFORMANCE: Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing) — 7pm, $49.90

A second chance to hear the deeply moving tracks performed by esteemed singer-songwriter and proud Yanyuwa woman, Dr Shellie Morris AO, in the critically endangered Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Gudanji and Marra languages. Each song is a tribute to the strength of women and the enduring spirit of the Gulf of Carpentaria and its people.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING: Square Circles — 6:30pm, free,

Fusing digital storytelling, visual art and evocative music, this free installation is a collaborative effort between William Barton, long-time friend and violist Stephen King, and the Australian String Quartet. Set to a score performed and recorded by Barton and the Australian String Quartet, the work premiered in a pop-up ‘dome’ at the Queen’s Theatre in Adelaide, and has been reimagined for the Sydney Opera House.

SongRites

Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point NSW 2000.
When: Wednesday, September 3 until Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Price: Varies per event. Ranges from free to $49.90 per person.

Find out more at sydneyoperahouse.com