Sydney Philharmonia Choirs in association with the United Nations

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs in
association with the United Nations
Association of Australia, present:
Saturday 16 May, 1.00pm
Sunday 17 May, 7.30pm
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
“Peace is one of humanity's most
precious needs. It is also the
United Nations’highest calling”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
The United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) is delighted
to work in partnership with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs to
present A Concert for Peace – an opportunity for us all to stop
and reflect on the importance of peace in our world.
The UNAA is a national not-for-profit organisation that works to
advance the goals and values of the UN in Australia and around
the world. The UNAA principally works to educate the Australian
community and leaders about the work the UN does, why it is so
important and how they can get involved. This includes a thematic
focus on the UN’s role in the maintenance of international
peace and security, humanitarian relief and disaster response,
environmental sustainability and economic development.
The UN Peace Program is under the auspices of the UNAA and
its main purpose is to work together to achieve peace throughout
the world. The program reinforces the universal commitment,
that the global human family shares a common humanity and is
responsible for each other’s well being.
We hope that you find your moment of peace in this presentation
by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, along with moments of joy.
unaa.org.au
Saturday 16 May, 1.00pm
Sunday 17 May, 7.30pm
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Prior to the Saturday performance a flock of doves will be released from the Sydney Opera
House forecourt while the Choirs perform Festival Alleluia, by Australian composer Lyn Williams.
Program:
Arvo Pärt (1935- ) Da pacem Domine
WELCOME
Eric Whitacre (1970- ) Alleluia
Morten Lauridsen (1943- ) O Nata Lux
Robert Lucas Pearsall (1795-1856) Lay A Garland
READING
Michael Tippett (1905-1998) Five Negro Spirituals from A Child of Our Time
INTERVAL
Karl Jenkins (1944- ) The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Guest Conductor: Elizabeth Scott
VOX
Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus
Sydney Youth Orchestra Philharmonic
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra Principles
We would like to thank the following people for their participation in this event:
• Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ Vice-Regal Patron,
His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d)
• The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, Minister for Communications
• Sheikh Mr Sebahattin Turan
The performances of A Concert for Peace: The Armed Man will last approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a
twenty-minute interval.These performances of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins are given by permission
of Hal Leonard Australia Pty. Ltd. exclusive agent for Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd of London.
The foyer fanfare for this concert is Please Take Your Seats, composed by Marcus Milton (age 15) from St Andrew’s
Cathedral School. This is a youth creativity project by the Sydney Opera House and Artology.
Conductor’s Note
“If war is defined as an active conflict that has claimed more than one thousand lives, of
the past three thousand four hundred years, humans have been entirely at peace for only
two hundred and sixty-eight of them, or just eight percent of recorded history.” *
This frightening statistic was read out as part of a
recent ANZAC Day service that I attended. What a
chilling thought! The human race has had a violent
past as our ancestors fought each other over land
ownership and religion and, yet, we as a race are
still fighting the same battles. Quoting from the
same article, “at least 108 million people were
killed in wars in the twentieth century”.
We are lucky to be protected from the horrors of
active conflict here in Australia, and yet our lives
have been touched too by terror, by war and by
inexplicable acts by one human to another. There
has been much focus on the devastation of war
with the centenary of ANZAC being commemorated
this year, but in this concert I hope we can focus on
the quest for peace.
The music performed by VOX in the first half of
the concert is a collection of a cappella choral
works either written in memory of a tragic event
of war, or music that inspires a feeling of peace
and tranquillity. Some of it has religious text, some
not, but to me the power of the music is achieved
through the intimacy of the human voice. The
young singers of VOX are our future, and they
deserve to live in a peaceful world.
The Armed Man is a dramatic contrast to the
“peace invoking” music of the first half and is
often angular and violent, but it too has the human
longing for peace at its heart. The work is unique
in its use of texts drawn from many parts of the
world, from diverse religions and backgrounds
and telling tales from many different wars. Both the
text and music embrace time periods from the first
millennium B.C to modern times and bridge Hindu,
Islamic and Christian cultures.
Music is a universal language and perhaps it is
through music that we are able to find a language
that every human race, every religion and all people
from all backgrounds can understand. Maybe,
somehow, we can find peace in the world.
It has been wonderful to have the support from the
United Nations Association of Australia, the Auburn
Gallipoli Mosque, His Excellency, the Governor
of NSW Mr David Hurley, and the Honourable Mr
Malcolm Turnbull MP for this project. I would also
like to thank Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for giving
me this wonderful opportunity to conduct these
fabulous choirs in the iconic Sydney Opera House,
and Sydney Youth Orchestra for allowing me to
borrow their Philharmonic Orchestra.
* Chris Hedges - ‘What Every Person Should Know About War’,
NY Times
Program Notes
Extract from ‘Gitanjali’
Rabindranath Tagore: Nobel Prize 1913
The morning sea of silence broke into ripples of
bird songs; and the flowers were all merry by the
roadside; and the wealth of gold was scattered
through the rift of the clouds while we busily went
on our way and paid no heed.
We sang no glad songs nor played; we went not
to the village for barter; we spoke not a word nor
smiled; we lingered not on the way. We quickened
our pace more and more as the time sped by.
The sun rose to the mid sky and doves cooed in
the shade. Withered leaves danced and whirled
in the hot air of noon. The shepherd boy drowsed
and dreamed in the shadow of the banyan tree,
and I laid myself down by the water and stretched
my tired limbs on the grass.
My companions laughed at me in scorn; they
held their heads high and hurried on; they never
looked back nor rested; they vanished in the
distant blue haze. They crossed many meadows
and hills, and passed through strange, far-away
countries. All honour to you, heroic host of
the interminable path! Mockery and reproach
pricked me to rise, but found no response in me.
I gave myself up for lost in the depth of a glad
humiliation---in the shadow of a dim delight.
The repose of the sun-embroidered green gloom
slowly spread over my heart. I forgot for what I
had travelled, and I surrendered my mind without
struggle to the maze of shadows and songs.
At last, when I woke from my slumber and opened
my eyes, I saw thee standing by me, flooding my
sleep with thy smile. How I had feared that the
path was long and wearisome, and the struggle to
reach thee was hard!
The Armed Man (A Mass for Peace) Karl Jenkins (b 1944)
1 L’homme armé (‘The Armed Man’)
2 The Call to Prayers
3 Kyrie eleison (‘Lord have mercy’)
4 Save me from bloody men
5 Sanctus (‘Holy, Holy, Holy’)
6 Hymn before action
7 Charge!
8 Angry flames
9 Torches
10 Agnus Dei (‘Lamb of God’)
11 Now the Guns have Stopped
12 Benedictus (‘Blessed is he ...’)
13 Better is peace
Karl Jenkins was born and grew up on the
Gower Peninsula, the son of a local organist and
choirmaster. He studied music at Cardiff University
and then at the Royal Academy of Music. Originally
an oboist, he took to the saxophone and established
himself early on as a jazz musician. He then
introduced the oboe as a jazz instrument.
1 The Armed Man (L’Homme Armé)
The ‘mass for peace’ is introduced by a marching
drumbeat and the tune of a French folk song (based
on a 15th-century original) played on the flute. The
choir sing the folk song, which celebrates the man of
arms: the armed man is to be feared, let every man
arm himself with a coat of steel.
As a composer he manages to combine very
different styles of music from classical to pop and to
draw on different cultures from around the globe.
His Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary (1994) topped the
classical album charts. His Requiem, is enjoyed by
choristers and audiences alike.
2 The Call to Prayers
A traditional Muslim Adhann is sung in Arabic by a
muezzin from the minaret of a mosque. The call to
prayers is preceded by the declarations: ‘Allah is
the greatest; I bear witness that there is no other
god but Allah; I bear witness that Muhammed is the
messenger of Allah.’
The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace was
commissioned by the Royal Armouries to mark the
transition from one millennium to another. It reflects
on the passing of ‘the most war-torn and destructive
century in human history’ and looks forward in
hope to a more peaceful future. The Armed Man
is dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo conflict,
whose tragedy was unfolding as it was being
composed. It was first performed in 2000 by the
London Philharmonic Orchestra and the National
Youth Choir of Great Britain, conducted by Jenkins
himself.
The texts were chosen jointly by the composer
and the then Master of the Royal Armouries, Guy
Wilson. A framework for the work is provided by the
traditional Catholic Mass and includes settings of
the Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei and Benedictus, some
of which have become popular self-standing pieces
to be heard, for instance, on ClassicFM. But what
makes the work distinctive are the lyrics drawn from
many parts of the world and from diverse religions
and cultures. The music too is cosmopolitan in its
inspiration.
3 Kyrie
The Kyrie eleison (Greek for ‘Lord have mercy on us’)
is usually the opening part of a mass. After a solemn
orchestral introduction, the soprano soloist leads
with the main theme in a lilting waltz time and the
choir take this up in turn. The Christe eleison that
follows is musically an episode in a quite different
style – a piece of Renaissance counter-point
marked, for the learned, ‘after Palestrina’. The choir
then return to the Kyrie eleison, which we hear again
with some musical variation.
4 Save Me from Bloody Men
The words here are taken from Psalms 56 and 59.
It is sung by the tenors and basses of the choir ‘a
cappella (unaccompanied) in the style of a Gregorian
Chant’. The Psalmist calls on God to be merciful
and deliver him from his enemies. The final phrase,
however, is interrupted by the sudden fateful beat of
a drum that dispels any feeling that all will be well.
5 Sanctus
The sense of foreboding is continued into this setting
of what is traditionally one of the joyful sections of the
Latin Mass. Percussion and brass combine to give a
sense of military build-up, quite subverting the choir’s
hopeful chanting of the traditional words. In English:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts (Armies),
Heaven and earth are full of your glory;
Hosanna in the highest!
6 Hymn Before Action
By now the people are bracing themselves for war
and, in the words of Rudyard Kipling, the soldiers
prepare for the ultimate sacrifice:
The earth is full of anger,
The seas are dark with wrath,
The Nations in their harness
Go up against our path:
Ere yet we loose the legions
Ere yet we draw the blade,
Jehova of the Thunders,
Lord God of Battles aid!
High lust and froward bearing,
Proud heart rebellious brow,
Deaf ear and soul uncaring,
We seek Thy mercy now!
The sinner that forswore Thee,
The fool that passed Thee by,
Our times are known before Thee,
Lord grant us strength to die!
7 Charge!
Trumpets and drums stir up martial feelings. Most of
the text is a stanza from John Dryden’s Ode for St
Cecilia’s Day but this is interrupted in the middle by
the words ‘How blest is he who for his country dies’.
These words are a loose translation of the muchquoted patriotic sentiment of the Roman poet Horace:
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. During the
First World War these words became a sort of motto,
referred to by the anti-war poet Wilfred Owen as ‘the
old lie’.
The trumpets’ loud Clangour
Excites us to Arms.
And mortal alarms.
The double, double beat of the thundering drum
Cries Hark! The foes come.
Charge, ’tis too late, too late to retreat
Charge! Charge!
These words are sung as three verses (the second
being repeated) by the whole choir, interspersed by
‘the old lie’, sung by the sopranos and altos, who
seem to be inciting the men to fight. Screams are
heard at the end as battle is engaged. After a period
of silence the Last Post is sounded.
8 Angry Flames
This is a setting of words by the Japanese poet
Toge Sankichi, reflecting on the effects of the
atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August
1945. Introduced by the tolling of bells and marked
Lacrimoso, this movement, led by soloists, is
mournful in mood.
Pushing up through smoke
From a world half darkened by overhanging
cloud.
The shroud that mushroomed out
And struck the dome of the sky,
Black, red, blue,
Dance in the air,
Merge, scatter glittering sparks already tower
Over the whole city.
Quivering like seaweed
The mass of flames spurts forward.
Popping up in the dense smoke,
Crawling out wreathed in fire,
Countless human beings on all fours
In a heap of embers that erupt and subside,
Hair rent, rigid in death,
There smoulders a curse.
9 Torches
This is a setting of part of the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata in which the fate of animals caught in
the conflagration is described:
The animals scattered in all directions,
Screaming terrible screams.
Many were burning, others were burnt.
All were shattered and scattered mindlessly,
Their eyes bulging.
Some hugged their sons,
Others their fathers and mothers,
Unable to let them go,
And so they died.
Others leapt up in their thousands,
Faces disfigured
And were consumed by the fire,
Everywhere bodies squirming on the ground,
Wings, eyes and paws all burning.
They breathed their last as living torches.
10 Agnus Dei
After the traumas of war this movement brings the
hope of peace. It is a beautiful setting of part of the
Latin Mass: ‘Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of
the world ...’.
11 Now the Guns have Stopped
A lonely survivor mourns the death of a friend in the
battle. The words were written by Guy Wilson.
Silent, silent, now the guns have stopped.
I have survived all, I who knew I would not.
But now you are not here.
I shall go home, alone;
And must try to live life as before
And hide my grief.
For you, my dearest friend,
Who should be with me now,
Not cold, too soon,
And in your grave, Alone.
12 Benedictus
This movement is introduced by a serenely beautiful
cello solo. The tune is taken up by the choir to words
from the Latin Mass: ‘Blessed is he that comes in the
name of the Lord’. Peace leads to rejoicing but after
an explosive Hosanna the mood of serenity returns.
13 Better is Peace
The substantial final movement begins by returning
to the music from the beginning adjusted for words
expressing a totally different sentiment, taken from
Thomas Malory: ‘Better is peace than always war’.
The choir then return to the words L’Homme Armé
presented as a short fugue before offering ‘Better is
peace’ in a slightly different form. This leads by an
orchestral interlude to the Millennial music set to the
words of Tennyson’s new year poem:
Ring out the thousand wars of old.
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring happy bells across the snow.
The year is going, let him go,
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease.
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold.
Had the piece ended on this note of triumph it
would have been hard to go on performing it
after ten years in which the blight of warfare has
continued as before. The ‘mass for peace’ ends,
however, on a higher plane with a hymn using
words from the Book of Revelation. The brass and
percussion are suddenly silent and the hymn is sung
unaccompanied. ‘God shall wipe away all tears, and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor
crying, and there shall be no more pain.’
Notes by Stuart Brown - www.choirs.org.uk
Elizabeth Scott – Conductor
Elizabeth Scott graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1995 as
a flute major having earned the prestigious Student of the Year Award and the
Reuben F. Scarf Scholarship for academic and musical excellence. As the holder
of scholarships from the Hungarian Ministry of Education, she then completed
post-graduate studies in choral conducting, vocal performance and aural training
in Hungary and Germany before returning to Australia in 2004.
Elizabeth was the Assistant Chorus Master to Sydney Philharmonia Choirs from
2006 to 2008 and was the Acting Music Director for the first half of 2013. She has
been the Musical Director of Vox, Sydney Philharmonia’s youth choir since 2008
and has built this ensemble into one of Australia’s leading youth choirs. She is the
Associate Conductor of Sydney Chamber Choir and is also in demand as a guest
choral director for ensembles including Coro Innominata, Macquarie University
Singers and Orpheus Choral Music.
Elizabeth is a graduate of Symphony Australia’s Conductor Development Program
having worked with orchestras including The Queensland Symphony Orchestra,
the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra. She was also awarded the Sydney Choral Symposium
Foundation Choral Conducting Scholarship in 2008.
Elizabeth is very active in music education and is currently the Music Performance
Projects Officer (Secondary Choral Music / Instrumental Music) for The Arts Unit,
a specialist branch of the NSW Department of Education and Training. In addition
to this, she was the Director of Vocal and Choral Studies at the Conservatorium
High School from 2012 to 2013. Elizabeth was the Instrumental Music Program
Coordinator at Fort St High School from 2008 to 2011 and under her musical
direction, the Fort St High School Wind Ensemble won the Australian National
Band Championships Junior B division, the Sydney Eisteddfod Premium
Secondary School Concert Band division, and a Gold medal and the ABODA prize
at the NSW School Bands Festival. Elizabeth regularly works as an orchestral and
choral conductor and accompanist for The Arts Unit at State School Music Camps,
Choral and Instrumental Festivals and is the conductor of the NSW Public Schools
Singers. Elizabeth was the Assistant Choral Conductor for Schools Spectacular in
2005 and 2006 and has been the Choral Conductor for the Schools Spectacular
since 2009.
Elizabeth sings regularly with Cantillation and has performed and recorded with
Pinchgut Opera and The Song Company.
Choir
Assistant Chorus Masters
Chris Cartner
Michelle Leonard
Rehearsal Pianists
Chris Cartner
Josephine Allan
Luke Byrne
Alice Hanna
VOX
Soprano
Anita Burkart
Victoria Campbell
Charlotte Campbell
Clare Kenny
Yi-Hsia Koh
Adele Kozak
Alexandra Little
Georgia Melville
Julia Mitchelmore
Georgia Moore
Amelia Myers
Esther Norie
Libby Phippard
Julia Schedlberger
Maya Schwenke
Kimberley Stuart
Stephanie Vierboom
Alto
Ananya Chakravorty
Sierra Classen
Meta Cohen
Isabel Colman
Jacky Dawkins
Rebecca Dawkins
Adela Greenbaum
Emma Hancock
Cara Hitchins
Edwina Howes
Johanna Knoechel
Eleanor Kozak
Madi Moore
Anne O’Connor
Madeleine Picard
Courtney Powell
Gabrielle Studdy
Lia Weitzel
Tenor
Vitor Cortes-Borges
Cameron Gill
Bennett Haskew
Hamish Lane
Michael Paton
Jerome Studdy
Bass
Abhimanyu Kapoor
Adrian Kenny
Alex Li-Kim-Mui
Samuel Merrick
Sean Moloney
Michael Nolan
James Shannon
Robert Sherrington
Theo Small
Marc Valpiani
Lachlan Wrenford
Stephen Young
FESTIVAL CHORUS
Soprano
Susan Anderson
Marion Baer
Julie Bangura
Rachelle Barnier
Marie-Lorraine Beasley
Christine Bishop
Elizabeth Blackford
Lea Bouganim
Sue Bowring
Patricia Bradley
Kathy Brunker
Lucy Bruton
Felicity Buckham
Leanne Budd
Yvette Burrow
Lynette Byrnes
Lesley Cady
Lindy Chapman
Annette Clark
Heather Clemens
Philippa Clingan
Fiona Clouston
Anne Catherine Cosentino
Shirley Crawford
Michelle Crook
Wen Dai
Helen Dalton
Nathalie Deeson
Liz Efinger
Stacy Etal
Grace Famularo
Heidi Fisse
Nancy Flitcroft
Susan Freeman
Jane Fry
Susan Gandy
Ruth Golden
Kathy Gollan
Susan Gordon
Vanessa Gray
Dallas Griffin
Solene Hameau
Rachel Harris
Sheila Hayward
Emesini Hazelden
Jennifer Holliday
Lillian Hourigan
Jane Hungerford
Berit Hurst
Alexandra Irwin
Alison Julian
Prue Kennard
Yona Kim
Valerie Kingsley-Strack
Adelaide Koo
Margaret Lackenby
Susan Landreth
Stephanie Lang
Hannah Leach
Bettina Leate
Judy Lee
Charlotte Lyons
Julianne Madden
Lee Mangraviti
Jennifer Manning
Helen Maxwell
Norma McDonald
Angela Melick
Georgina Melick
Jane Mezzina
Karen Miles
Kathryn Millist-Spendlove
Mary Mortimer
Helen Murray
Joy Nason
Susan Nicholas
Robyn O’Keefe
Deirdre O’Sullivan
Karin Olah
Kathryn Parker
Lynne Parrott
Pauline Paul
Janice Peak
Fiona Peare
Anna Pender
Robyn Phillips
Therese Pinson
Robin Pollock
Marisa Pongan
Kristine Ravn
Laurel Reynolds
Anna Richards
Evawaty Riley
Kaisa Ritola
Jeanne Robertson
Anna Robinson
Alanna Rogers
Lynn Roise
Sylvia Romanik
Patricia Row
Brenda Rowlandson
Monique Rueger
Kate Saunders
Helen Sharp
Rayner Soothill
Krystyna Stavaruk
Vivienne Strong
Abigail Studdert
Margaret Symes
Sara Tamim
Maralyn Tannous
Siva Thevathasan
Susan Thomas
Margaret Titterton
Giselle Treskow
Tanya Walker
Margaret Ward-Harvey
Catherine Wargent
Joanna Warren
Susan Webster
Faye Welborn
Janet Widmer
Rosemary Williams
Suzie Woodhouse
Sacha Yasumoto
Angeline Zaghloul
Lisa Zang
Alto
Sheena Adamson
Sarah Andrews
Lillian Armitage
Meredith Ash
Tel Asiado
Louise Bain
Lyn Baker
Sally-Ann Barbera
Susan Barrett
Julie Bartholomew
Diane Bertelsmeier
Robyn Blainey
Leona Blanco
Emma Bourke
Kate Bowen-Jones
Pam Bray
Jane Brodribb
Suvituulia Brohez
Anneliese Buff
Jacqueline Buswell
Averill Chase
Tina Claridge
Ruth Cleary
Susan Clift
Jane Connolly
Samantha Coras
Louise Coster
Fran Cunneen
Michelle Davenport
Virginia Davies
Sharon Dickson
Helen Dignan
Elizabeth Donati
Katherine Downs
Heather Dufty
Judy Dunstan
Gail Edinborough
Allison Edwards
Sue-Ellen Fairall
Ilona Ferguson
Vanessa Fone
Judith Fritsche
Alex Garrick
Joyeeta Ghosh
Robyn Gilbert
Diana Gray
Sonja Grgurevic
Andrea Haas
Lesley Halamek
Amy Han
Cynthia Haskell
Emma Heath
Anne Heritage
Cecilia Hibbert
Margaret Hills
Katie Hislop
Annette Hodgkinson
Marijke Hol
Alison Horan
Adele Hudson
Louise Imray
Rufina Ismail
Elaine Jackson
Diana Jefferies
Melinda Jefferson
Soon Jeon
Joan Jones
Fiona Joneshart
Beverley Jordan
Susan Kaim
Julie Kalitis
Sally Kennedy
Tamsin Khan
Isabella Laing
Veronica Lambert
Gillian Lamberti
Kate Lawson
Penny Le Couteur
Penelope Lee
Heather Lees-Smith
Sara Lewis
Edda Lewis
Tiffany Lim
Minnie Linag
Deb Lipworth
Jennifer Lung
Doreen Macfarlane
Madi Maclean
Rosemary Madden
Tiyana Maksimovich-Binno
Judith Marquardt
Valerie Marteau
Jennifer Mathews
Ayako Matsuki
Roshana May
Ruth Mitchell
Elizabeth Moore
Gabriele Munro
Sari Munro
Catherine O’Grady
Roisin Pengelly
Joanne Perry
Dianne Peters
Susan Ping Kee
Marilyn Ramage
Jackie Range
Linda Robertson
Tanya Rosen
Virginia Rowlands
Wendy Russell
Eva Ryden
Diane Sahukar
Roshan Sahukar
Felicity Saunders
Marlyn Sciberras
Sandra Scott
Heidi Seemann
Marie Show
Daphne Sivasubramaniam
Milly Stendrup
Lindy Stuart
Elizabeth Talbert
Kerstin Thorn-Seshold
Susan Tooker
Marni Torkel
Sally Tunley
Sheila van Holst
Barbara Ward
Kylie Watt
Jeanette Webb
Barbara Weissflog
Anne Wilcox
Christina Wilcox
Alyson Wills
Claudia Winters
Susan Wittenoom
Gillian Wood
Louisa Wright
Roswitha Wulff
Chari Xuereb
Anna Young
Alicia Zanger
Julia Zwirko
Tenor
John Adams
Clive Arasaratnam-Smith
Mark Ashdown
Richard Birch
Nicholas Brown
Bill Cowie
Mirijana De Vries Robbe
Jenny Edwards
Kate Foot
Bronwyn Harvey
Alexander Heimann
Graham Huddy
Alistair Johnston
Murray Keir
Ayse Kiran
Ian Marshall
Patrick Medley
Louise Nicholas
Tim O’Reilly
James Pannowitz
Christinne Patton
Raymond Selomulya
Barbara Sinclair
Enrico Sondalini
Rhonda Stapleton
John Statton
Martin Stebbings
Sandra Steele
Cliff Wherry
Margaretha Wienekamp
Frank Zhao
Ian Zhu
Bass
Sean Bogan
Nigel Cadogan
Stefan Couani
Richard Davies
Jason Dempsey
Donald Denoon
Gregory Don
Bill Dowsley
Roderick Enriquez
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs presents
Paul Fennessy
Graham Georgeson
John Golding
Warren Gough
Paul Goyen
Jeremy Hall
John Hardy
Graham Lee
Kelvin Olive
Stephen Sainsbury
Russell Stapleton
Iain Steele
Richard Stobo
Warren Stoyles
Michael Walpole
Michael White
David Wood
This is a fantastic opportunity for singers of any
level to participate in a weekend workshop at the
Sydney Opera House led by Sydney Philharmonia
Choirs Music Director, Brett Weymark. Participants
will rehearse movements from a range of works
including Carmina Burana, Handels Messiah, the
Hallelujah Chorus and various requiems.
2015 marks ten years of ChorusOz and we will
celebrate with a spectacular program featuring
excerpts from every performance since its
inception in 2004.
Registrations: $285
Rehearsals Saturday 6 and Sunday 7
June
Performance Sunday 7 June, 5pm
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Conductor: Brett Weymark
For more information and to register visit
sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/
chorusoz-2015
Sydney Youth Orchestra Philharmonic
Operations Manager
Casey Green
Operations Assistant
Nick Munro
Production
Lindsay Miller
Operations Intern
James Barrow
Concertmasters
Fiona Ziegler*
David Carreon
Flute
Marcus Paxton
Gianna Cheung
Ella Jeong
Elizabeth Cheung
Rosamund Plummer*
Oboe
Caitlin Benz
Mikaela Sukkar
Whansae Chung
Alex Fontaine*
Clarinet
Olivia Hans-Rosenbaum
Yinnie Yip
Heather Yang
Lisa McCowage*
Bassoon
Jordy Meulenbrooks
Ashleigh Jo
Nicola Bandler-Llewellyn
Tony Grimm*
Trumpet
Tyler Wilkinson
Sergio Barca
Christian Sharpe
Owen Morris *
Horn
Billy Nicholson
Andrew London
Dexter Cave
Robert Johnson*
Trombone
Victoria Schulz
Nicholas De Bres
Michael Wyborn*
Bass Trombone
Rhys Oldham
Tuba
Lucas Polivis
Duncan Spry*
Percussion
Oliver Brighton
Mason Pun
Alexander Buse
Christian McLoughlin
Tim Paillas*
Timpani
Brian Nixon
Violin 1
David Carreon
James Armstrong
Katrina Popovic
Yuxi Wen
Jason Yip
Linus Gibson
Elizabeth Kalotay
Timothy Easterbrook
Stephen Mataafa
Edwin Lai
Fiona Ziegler*
Narine Melconian*
Violin 2
Sarah Chang
Isabella Loong
Caitlin Sandiford
Joshua Behar
Isabella Janic
Olivia Peterson
Bernadette Chuan
Emma Scolaro
Joshua Kok
Kai Choong
Maria Lindsay*
Lindsay Irik*
Viola
Niamh Armstrong
Ashleigh Hannes
Po Shen Wang
Georgina Price*
Sandro Costantino*
Cello
Madeleine Tropman
Ryan Quek
Michelle Pham
Oscar Eggleton
Jessie Abrahams
Alisdair Guiney
Kenneth He
Zoltan Szabo*
Jo Costantino*
Bass
Jason Henery
Max Lim-Scrimali
Helen Cosgrove*
Member of Sydney
Philharmonia Orchestra
*
Join Us
Symphony Chorus
Christmas Choir
For the more experienced choral singer who is
prepared to commit a substantial amount of their
free time. This 150-strong auditioned choir works
throughout the year with major international artists
and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at venues
including the Sydney Opera House. Auditions
throughout the year.
A chorus that assembles specifically to perform
Messiah in the Sydney Opera House, alongside
the Symphony Chorus and professional orchestra.
Rehearsals throughout spring. No audition needed.
VOX
For experienced singers between the ages of
18 – 30 years old. VOX has gained a reputation for
excellence and performs in varied contexts
throughout the year, from festivals to
commissioned performances, as well as working
with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. VOX is an
auditioned choir.
Chamber Singers
A small ensemble of 32 highly-skilled choristers,
who enhance performances of the Symphony
Chorus as well as giving their own concerts of
specialised repertoire. Auditions just once per year
(next auditions Spring 2015).
Festival Chorus
For choral singers who love to sing but cannot
commit to the Symphony Chorus. The Festival
Chorus participates in two projects each year in
the Sydney Opera House. To join you need to take
part in an open-day or open-evening. There is no
formal audition so this choir is accessible for
people with less choral experience. Main rehearsal
periods autumn and spring.
ChorusOz
A chorus made up of singers from all over the
world who assemble for the June holiday weekend
to perform at the Sydney Opera House with a
professional orchestra and soloists.
No audition needed.
Singing at the House
One Sunday morning each month come and join us
for informal singing at the Opera House. No
audition, no preparation, and free – what’s
stopping you?! Singing at the House is a
partnership between Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
and Sydney Opera House.
Details at:
sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/singing-at-the-house
There is a choir
here for you.
Sign up for a Choir
or to audition at
sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/
sing-with-us
Donations
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs warmly thanks all our generous donors
and supporters. Your contributions ensure that we are able to
continue developing the choral tradition in Australia. Donations $2
and above to Sydney Philharmonia Limited are tax deductible and
donations of $100 and above are listed here and on our website. This
list is current as at Monday Friday, 8 May 2015.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION...
...about how you can support Sydney
Philharmonia Choirs, please contact Lisa
Parragi, Marketing and Development
Coordinator on 9251 2024 or email
[email protected]
Those donors marked with an * are members of the Centenary Circle,
a select group of committed ambassadors and advocates who share
our passion for the exhilarating power of the human voice.
$10,000+
Mr Robert Albert AO RFD RD*
Maggie McKelvey (In memory
of her mother Dorothy Barmby)
The Ruth Jurd Estate
Ms Sara Watts*
The Macquarie Group
Foundation
Rosalind & Antony Strong*
Larry and Ann Turner*
Annie and Tony Whealy*
Anon x 7
$5,000–$9,999
$1,000–$2,499
Philip and Elizabeth Crenigan*
Ruth Edenborough*
Eric Hansen*
John Lamble AO
Jacqui Wilkins and Arno Franz*
Anon x 2
$2,500–$4,999
Mr Matthew Allchurch
Christine Bishop*
David and Halina Brett*
Mr JDO Burns
Mrs Jennifer Cook
E Donati*
Mrs Pamela Duncan*
Jenny Edwards*
Cecil Grivas
The Hon Justice François Kunc
& Ms Felicity Rourke*
Dr Veronica Lambert
& Trevor Danos AM*
Yvette and Peter Leonard*
Dr John O’Brien*
Foster Raffan Pty Ltd
Michael Ahrens
James Cox
Mr Michael Crouch AO
Mary Mortimer and
Donald Denoon
Warren Green
Vesna Hatezic
David Jacobs
Iphygenia Kallinikos
Judy Lee
Dr Carolyn Lowry OAM
Denise and Patrick Medley
Lindsey Paget-Cooke
Leonard Storlien (In memory of
Sue Hatherly)
Judge Robyn Tupman
Kay Vernon
Lucille Warth
Anthony Whelan
Anon
$500–$999
Peter Callaghan
Robert Clark
Julian Coghlan &
Andrea Beattie
Brian and Nathalie Deeson
Rinaldo Fabbro
Mrs Janet Fisher
Lynne Frolich
Prof. Michael Frommer
(In memory of the late Helen
Pedersen)
Robert Green
Andrea Hoole
Mrs W. G. Keighley
Lily Krienbuhl
Anthony Maiden
Mr Kenneth Martin
Tim & Gillian McDonald
Kerrie Nesbit &
Peter Callaghan
Beverley Price
Rayner Soothill
Krystyna Stavaruk
Stephanie Wells
Louisa Wright
Anon x 3
$200-$499
Tel Asiado
Rosalind Baker
Helen Bashir
Georgina Bitcon
Dion & Micki Boehme
Sue Bowring
Patricia Bradley
Jane Brooks
Silvia de Poe-Diestel
Liz Efinger
Elizabeth Evatt
Elizabeth Gee
Diana Gray
Graeme Hanna
Dr Alexander Hunyor
Alistair Johnston
Joan Jones
Lilly Krienbuhl
Penny Le Couteur
Jean Long
Roshana May
Jeffrey Mellefont
Bernadette Mitchell
Penelope Morris
Judith Pickering
Susan Ping Kee
Geoffrey Riley
Georgia Rivers
Mrs Sandra Robberds
Annette Rooney
Coralee Rose
Dr William E. Smith
Martin Stebbings
Elaine Thornton
Larry and Ann Turner
Barry Walmsley
Alex Walter
Hoon Chee Whitwell
Christina Wilcox
Evan Williams AM &
Janet Williams
Doug Wood
Tachi Yasukawa
Anon x 9
$100-$199
Brian Beech
Lillian Bennetts
Judith Betts
Lea Bouganim
Elizabeth Bradhurst
Mrs Pam Bray
Jane Brooks
Lindy Chapman
Peter Christie
Anne Cooke
Peter Davenport
Dr Geoff Duggin
Rumi Dunlap
Mrs Gail Edinborough
Linda Evans
Sally Evans
Mrs Enid Eyles
Sharon Finn
Kate Foot
Susan Gordon
Dallas Griffin
Sandra Gross
Kathryn Harwood
Patricia Howard
Patricia Howes
Merle Jones
E.M. Lees
Avril Llewellyn
Ms Maree Lucas
Elizabeth Mackinnon
Frank Maio
David McDonald
Janice McKeand
Mellefont Family
Lillian Mora
Penelope Morris
Louise Nicholas
Andrew Oakham
Pat O’Dea
Roisin Pengelly
Joanne Perry
Dianne Peters
Jennifer Raper
Catherine Remond
Chris Rogers
Sylvia Romanik
Annette Rooney
Fe Ross
Lisa Sampson
Marlyn Sciberras
Jan Shaw
Urs Sieber
Dr Margaret Vautin
Tony Wadey
Susan Warth
Barbara Weissflog
Dr Janet Widmer
Angela Williamson
Gillian Wood
Priscilla Yuen
Anon x 12
Award winning cool climate wines from Orange
www.dindima.com.au
Proud supporters of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Support Us
Centenary Circle
As a member of the Centenary Circle, you will be
linked with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (SPC)
during a very exciting period of our history, as we
approach our 100th anniversary in September
2020. The Circle comprises a select group of
committed ambassadors and advocates who
share our passion for the exhilarating power of the
human voice. The Centenary Circle will provide a
unique opportunity to come on the journey with
SPC over the coming years as we celebrate and
grow toward this significant event in Sydney’s
music history.
Membership of the Circle is $2,500 for individuals
and $3,000 for couples each year. For each Circle
member, $500 of the amount contributed is not tax
deductible. This allows SPC to provide special
events and other benefits to those in the Circle.
For a listing of benefits associated with Centenary
Circle membership please visit our website:
sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/support-us
Current Members of the Centenary Circle
Robert Albert
Christine Bishop
David and Halina Brett
Philip and Elizabeth Crenigan
E Donati
Pamela Duncan
Ruth Edenborough
Jenny Edwards
Eric Hansen
Hon. Justice François Kunc and Ms Felicity Rourke
Dr Veronica Lambert and Trevor Danos AM
Yvette and Peter Leonard
Dr John O’Brien
Rosalind and Antony Strong
Larry and Ann Turner
Sara Watts
Annie and Tony Whealy
Jacqui Wilkins and Arno Franz
Anon x 3
Sponsorship
SPC offers sponsorship opportunities for you to
profile your company, your customers and to treat
clients to great music and hospitality in
exceptional surroundings. Please call David
Francis, General Manager on 9251 2024 to discuss
sponsorship opportunities.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs gratefully acknowledges the support of:
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ is supported by the NSW Government and through ArtsNSW and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Government
Partners
Partner
Organisations
Business
Partners
Companies with whom we have worked: Cunard, Westfield, Macquarie Bank, Providence Wealth
Corporate
Partners
About Us
connect with
sydney philharmonia
choirs on social media!
Vice-Regal Patron
His Excellency General
The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d),
Governor of New South Wales
Keep up to date with all of our activities
by liking us on Facebook and
following us on Twitter:
Vice Patrons
facebook.com/Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
twitter.com/SydPhil
Professor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir AD, CVO
Lauris Elms AM OBE D.Mus (Syd)
Sir David Willcocks CBE MC
Yvonne Kenny AM
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs exists to share the joy of choral music with choristers and audiences alike.
Founded in 1920, Sydney Philhamonia has become Australia’s finest choral organization and now
regularly performs at the Sydney Opera House and other leading concert halls around the country.
Our charismatic and dynamic Music Director, Brett Weymark, has been in the role since 2003 bringing
his wealth of experience and passion to SPC.
Our choristers, who number 1500 people, voluntarily give their time and talents to rehearsing and
singing. Choristers regularly perform with major international artists and orchestra’s including the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Ballet.
Join us for our next concerts:
ChorusOz – 7 June, SOH
Faure Requiem – 10 and 11 July, St Mary’s Cathedral
In addition we will run our Chorus Oz program on 6 and 7 June, a fun-filled weekend of singing
for everyone.
In 2020, SPC will celebrate our centenary. For more information on our organization and performances
visit www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/sydneyphilharmonia
Staff
Board
General Manager David Francis
Music Director Brett Weymark
Music Director VOX Elizabeth Scott
Assistant Chorus Master Chris Cartner
Choirs Manager Mark Robinson
Choirs Administrator Lindsay Pringle
Choirs Administrator Kate Proctor
Sales and Marketing Manager Georgie Gonczi
Marketing and Development Coordinator Lisa Parragi
Administration Assistant Susan Gandy
Accounts Darela Kurtovic
Financial Controller John Liebmann
President Jacqui Wilkins
Treasurer Andrea Hoole
Philip Crenigan
David Jacobs
Clare Kenny
Hannah Mason
Laura Platts
2015 Season
For more information please visit
sydneyphilharmonia.com.au