Skip to main content

Ngapa William Cooper

10 July 2023

In the Concert Hall

Classical Music

Join the Australian Youth Orchestra as they perform three sweeping works inspired by the tenacity of the human spirit in times of darkness.

Australian Youth Orchestra

Join the Australian Youth Orchestra as they perform three sweeping works inspired by the tenacity of the human spirit in times of darkness in Sydney.

Ngapa William Cooper was born out of a rich collaboration between composer Nigel Westlake, singer-songwriter Lior, and performer and academic Dr Lou Bennett AM. With Westlake leading from the podium, these acclaimed artists will bring their dynamic stage presence to the orchestral premiere commissioned by AYO.

Ngapa William Cooper explores the strength and compassion of Yorta Yorta activist Uncle William Cooper. In 1938, Cooper led the Australian Aborigines’ League through the streets of Melbourne in the only non-Jewish protest worldwide against the events of Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany. Using English and Yorta Yorta language, it is a celebration of a man who left behind a ‘legacy of resistance, solidarity and empathy’.

The performance opens with Westlake’s The Glass Soldier, originally written for Hannie Rayson’s play of the same name. It is dedicated to the memory Nelson Ferguson, a WW1 veteran and artist, and was commissioned by Ferguson’s grandson Don Farrands.

This will be followed by Beneath the Waves, the distillation of Westlake’s score for 2022 motion picture Blueback. Star cellist Sharon Grigoryan will feature as soloist. Blueback takes its story from Tim Winton’s 1997 novel and follows a mother and daughter’s fight to protect Australia’s precious coral reefs.

Nigel WESTLAKE
The Glass Soldier – Suite

Nigel WESTLAKE
Beneath the Waves

Nigel WESTLAKE, LIOR, Lou BENNETT, additional lyric content Sarah GORY                                          
Ngapa William Cooper (orchestral premiere)

Presented by Australian Youth Orchestra

Artist information

Conductor & Composer
Nigel Westlake

Vocals
Lior

Vocals
Lou Bennett

Cello
Sharon Grigoryan

Other information

You may also like

Stephen Hough performs Mendelssohn

4 – 7 Jun 2025

Sir Stephen Hough is one of the world’s great pianists, captivating audiences with his sublime artistry.

  • Classical Music
Stephen Hough wears a pinstripe shirt as his eyes are closed playing the piano in front of the violin section of an orchestra

Rossini in Paris

17 May 2025

Sydney Philharmonia’s Festival Chorus sings Rossini’s final masterpiece with dramatic highlights from his grand opera William Tell.

  • Classical Music

Bronzewing

18 May 2025

Australian performer-composers Katie Yap and Donald Nicolson entwine early music gems and lyrical new compositions for the poetic combination of viola and harpsichord.

  • Classical Music

Checking availability