Bach’s Christmas Oratorio
16 December 2023
In the Concert Hall
Classical Music
The Christmas Oratorio is easily one of the most inspired musical enactments of the Nativity. Brett Weymark has chosen the first three parts, from the exultant opening to the tender scenes in the stable and the festive arrival of the shepherds.
| Date | Time |
| Saturday 16 December | 2pm |
Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
Standard |
|
Concession |
|
| Premium | $129 |
| A Reserve | $105 |
| B Reserve | $85 |
| C Reserve | $60 |
| D Reserve | $45 |
| Premium | $116 |
| A Reserve | $92 |
| B Reserve | $75 |
| C Reserve | $55 |
| D Reserve | $41 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The authorised agencies for this event are Sydney Opera House and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Wednesday 23 November 2022
In German
No language barrier
Wheelchair accessible
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations available.
To book accessible seating contact Box Office via email or telephone on:
+61 2 9250 7777 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Age
Recommended for ages 12+
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Also on this page
Your digital program
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio
When JS Bach was at the height of his powers he created a monumental musical work for the Christmas season. Although he called it an oratorio, it was in six parts – one cantata for each of the first six days of Christmas. His listeners would have heard these in church services, with prayers, a sermon and congregational singing. But he genius of the Christmas Oratorio is that the music works brilliantly on a larger scale – tracing the Christmas narrative in satisfying style.
The concert opens with the thundering drums, trumpets and the thrilling sound of exultant voices lifted in praise: “Shout for joy!” The sweet pastoral sounds of flutes and oboes colour part two and its tender scenes in the lowly stable. Festive colours return as the shepherds arrive to celebrate the Lord of Heaven. In Bach’s hands the mystery of the Nativity finds perfect expression in glorious music.
Brett Weymark has assembled the finely tuned voices of Chamber Singers and some of Sydney’s most stylish vocal soloists to find the impeccable balance between baroque expression and epic musical effect.
Program
Johann Sebastian BACH
Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
Part 1
For the 1st day of the Nativity
(“Jauchzet, frohlocket!”)
Part 2
For the 2nd day of the Nativity
(“Und es waren Hirten”)
Part 3
For the 3rd day of the Nativity
(“Herrscher des Himmels”)
Artists
Conductor
Brett Weymark
Soprano
Penelope Mills
Mezzo-soprano
Margaret Plummer
Tenor
Andrew Goodwin
Bass-baritone
Christopher Richardson
Chamber Singers
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Season 2026
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
The season opens on Sydney Harbour with Vivaldi’s magnificent Gloria at Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay. Sublime choral masterpieces will fill the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall: Bach’s St John Passion at Easter, the vivid colours of Duruflé’s Requiem & Poulenc’s Gloria, Haydn’s Creation and Britten’s War Requiem. ChorusOz goes to the opera with Verdi’s Aida – then to Perth with Orff’s Carmina Burana. And don’t miss World O World in the evocative ambience of White Bay Power Station.
Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a 7-10 minute walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We have a number of safety measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. While face masks are no longer required, we ask all our patrons and visitors to practise good hygiene.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
You may also like
