Carols at the House
15 – 17 December 2023
In the Concert Hall
Carols at the House returns with actor John Bell and popular soprano Julie Lea Goodwin. The splendid sounds of Rutter’s Gloria set the tone for a festive program of Christmas favourites and unexpected delights, with plenty of audience participation.
Please note this event is in 2023 and is part of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs 2023 season.
| Date | Time |
| Friday 15 December | 8pm |
| Saturday 16 December | 8pm |
| Sunday 17 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 various languages
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
Run time
This performance will run for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, with one interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
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.
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Your digital program
Carols at the House
Carols at the House is back! True to form, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs are combining beautiful and uplifting music with your favourite Christmas carols and filling the Concert Hall with the sound of a 600-strong choir and full symphony orchestra.
Australian stage icon John Bell will shape the program with moving and thoughtful spoken interludes. Popular soprano Julie Lea Goodwin is our featured soloist. And conductor Elizabeth Scott has chosen the perfect selection of music for this family-friendly concert.
John Rutter’s Gloria is the highlight: a magnificent setting of the words the angels spoke to the shepherds on the first Christmas Night. Blazing brass, gorgeous harmonies and ecstatic singing. Highlights from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet music sets the party mood. Favourites ranging from Irving Berlin’s White Christmas to the Ukrainian Carol of the Bells will evoke a northern hemisphere Yuletide, while Australian carols, both classic and new, bring the celebration Down Under. Add in opulent arrangements of carols and popular standards, stirring baroque choruses, some unexpected delights and plenty of audience participation – perfection.
Join in the Carols at the House tradition and celebrate Christmas with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs!
Program
John RUTTER
Gloria
George Frideric HANDEL
Messiah (highlights)
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
Excerpts from Nutcracker: Suite
Luke BYRNE
Capricorn
and an eclectic mix of singalong carols and favourite Christmas music.
Artists
Conductor
Elizabeth Scott
Actor
John Bell
Soprano
Julie Lea Goodwin
Symphony Chorus
VOX
Christmas Choir
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Limelight…the lush arrangements of the carols and traditional songs were beautiful, detailed and inventive, offering something slightly different and allowing incredibly familiar material to surprise afresh…
Season 2025
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Voice. Energy. Joy.
In 2025 Sydney Philharmonia Choirs invite you to find your voice, energy and joy in the rich banquet of music they have to sing for you.
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 six minute walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of 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. We remind our audiences and visitors to please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
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.
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