Utzon Music Series
VOCES8
Eight voices, one incredible sound. VOCES8 celebrates the richness and timeless beauty of a cappella music.
In the Utzon Room
“Flawless... Their shining tone and technique make for joyful, peaceful listening"
Limelight
The pure power of VOCES8
Choral music is in the midst of a Renaissance. Music-lovers are rediscovering the beauty of unaccompanied voices, especially today’s composers revel in their expressive power. British ensemble VOCES8 has been at the heart of this movement. The eight exquisitely blended voices "bring a new dimension to the word 'ensemble' with meticulous timing and tuning" (Gramophone) and the diversity and breadth of its repertoire, from Mediaeval to modern inspires audiences around the globe. Voces8 makes its Sydney Opera House debut in 2019. You can expect an eclectic and meticulously plotted evening of exquisite a cappella singing to illuminate the winter darkness.
Andrea Haines and Eleonore Cockerham, soprano
Katie Jeffries-Harris and Barnaby Smith, alto
Blake Morgan and Sam Dressel, tenor
Christopher Moore and Jonathan Pacey, bass
Presented by Sydney Opera House.
Program
WILLIAM BYRD
Sing Joyfully
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Denn er hat einen
Engeln befohlen über dir
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Bogoroditse Devo
NAT ‘KING’ COLE^
Straighten Up and Fly Right
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL ARR. NAOMI CRELLIN
Homeward Bound
JONATHAN DOVE
In Beauty May I Walk
GIOVANNI PIERLUIGI DA PALESTRINA
Magnificat Primi Toni
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
The Sound of Silence
TRAD. ARR. JOSHUA PACEY
Danny Boy
JEAN SIBELIUS ARR. VOCES8
Be Still My Soul
DOUGIE MCLEAN ARR. BLAKE MORGAN
Caledonia
KATE RUSBY^
Underneath the Stars
BEN FOLDS^
The Luckiest
LUIS DEMETRIO & PABLO BELTRÁN RUIZ*
Sway
DUKE ELLINGTON ARR. BEN PARRY
It Don’t Mean a Thing
Masterclass
Following your concert, share an intimate ‘behind the scenes’ experience with our Utzon Music Series artists.
Join VOCES8 for an evening of revelation as they tutor student choral musicians on their ancient craft. Listen and learn about choral training and development in the heavenly surrounds of the Utzon Room.
The Utzon Music Series Masterclasses are enabled by Jillian Segal AM and John Roth through the Yarranabbe Foundation.
A note from Yarmila Alfonzetti, Series Curator
If I go more than a year without an amazing choir or vocal ensemble concert I start to feel the lack of it. There is something about vocal precision and the microscopic harmonic adjustments which take place that is freakishly impressive. And even though I keep hearing the rhetoric that says everyone can sing, let’s be honest, no-one really believes that, and it just has to be one of the hardest things to master. Voces8 is in great company with other choirs who have performed in this Series, including the Tallis Scholars and The Sixteen, and for their Australian debut I am delighted that the touring logistics stars have aligned so that they can fill our beautiful Utzon Room with their heavenly sound.
Make the most of your experience...
Add a drinks voucher or drinks with a cheese platter to your purchase and redeem it at any of the foyer bars inside the Opera House – perfect for a pre-show or interval refreshment.
Join us for a meal at Opera Bar before or after your guided Sydney Opera House Tour. We’ve picked our favourites - beer battered fish & chips, rump steak or a seasonal vegetarian meal option*. No reservations needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
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