MacMillan’s Stabat Mater
Classical Music
Please note this event does not take place at Sydney Opera House.
This concert promises a cathartic experience, tapping into music’s power to communicate heartfelt emotion, from the fervent expression of joy to intense sorrow. The Chamber Singers shine in this intimate but powerful program of music inspired by faith and human experience.
|
Date |
Time |
|
Saturday 14 October |
4.30pm |
|
All tickets |
Price |
|---|---|
|
Unreserved Seating |
$75 |
|
Under 30 |
$30 |
$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 Choir. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the FAQ below.
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Wednesday 23 November 2022
Run time
This program will run for approximately 90 minutes, with no interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Suitable for ages 12+
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times. Children aged 0-23 months at the time of a performance may be seated on a parent’s lap free of charge. All children occupying a seat or aged 2 year/s of age or older must hold a valid ticket.
The TimesIt’s not often that the composer of a new work gets a standing ovation, but then every new work isn’t like James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater
MacMillan’s Stabat Mater
In this concert Brett Weymark showcases one of the most exquisite combinations in music: the sound of a virtuoso chamber choir with string orchestra. And the program he’s chosen reflects the musical richness of the Christian liturgical tradition and the inspirational vision of faith.
Australian composers Daniel Brinsmead and Andrew Anderson offer fervent and heartfelt expressions of joy, celebration and simple devotion. Arvo Pärt’s signature bell-like style is represented by two of his most popular instrumental meditations.
At the heart of this concert is music by James MacMillan, whose sublime anthem “Who Shall Separate Us?” was heard in the funeral service for Elizabeth II. His setting of the Stabat Mater is a fiercely impassioned evocation of Mary’s grief at the foot of the cross, finding soaring moments of extraordinary beauty and consolation in the heart-breaking drama of this most sorrowful of Christian texts. The Stabat Mater might be a 13th-century litany but in MacMillan’s hands it becomes a deeply personal and devastatingly immediate account of a mother’s anguish.
Program
Andrew ANDERSON
I Sing in My Heart*†
Arvo PÄRT
Festina lente
Arvo PÄRT
Fratres
Daniel BRINSMEAD
Cantate Domino*†
James MACMILLAN
Stabat Mater**
* Premiere
† From 100 Minutes of New Australian Music Project
** Australian premiere
Artists
Conductor
Brett Weymark
Chamber Singers
Sydney Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra
Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
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
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will continue to apply NSW Public Health Orders as they relate to ticketing and seating arrangements.
To help you find the right entrance at St Andrew’s Cathedral, we have indicated Door A or Door B on your ticket for easy reference. Follow the signs or ask one of our Front of House team to assist you.
On arrival, please check-in using the Service NSW app by scanning the QR code displayed at each entrance to St Andrew’s Cathedral. We encourage you to download the Service NSW app and link your Vaccination Certificate before you arrive for a quick and easy entry.
E-tickets are encouraged, and ticket collection at the Box Office will be limited. The Front of House team will direct you to your seat.
The Box Office at the George Street entrance will be open one hour prior to each performance to help you with any questions or issues.
There will be no cloakroom so we encourage you to leave bigger items at home. There will be no bar.
Getting here
Wilson Parking has a number of parking stations close to St Andrew’s Cathedral. We recommend St Andrew’s House Car Park, Queen Victoria Building Car Park and Citipark Car Park.
Getting to the St Andrew’s Cathedral on public transport is easy. Most Sydney Trains stop at Sydney Town Hall, and most CBD busses stop nearby.
To plan your trip, visit the Transport NSW website or call Transport NSW on 131 500 for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures.
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.
You may also like
Stephen Layton conducts Bach, Mozart & Handel
21 & 23 Aug 2025
Stephen Layton is one of the world's greatest choral conductors, an expert in vocal music from the Renaissance to the modern day. In this concert Stephen Layton conducts Baroque and Classical masterpieces by Bach, Handel, Mozart and Haydn, featuring guest soloist Sara Macliver.
The Tallis Scholars
12 Oct 2025
Award-winning British vocal ensemble, The Tallis Scholars return to the Sydney Opera House for the first time in over two decades with an unmissable program inspired by the timeless beauty of Gregorian chant. Award-winning British vocal ensemble, The Tallis Scholars are renowned for their stunning cappella performances and exquisite recordings of sacred vocal music. The choir first sang at the Sydney Opera House in 1985, 40 years ago, and has returned five times since.
Simone Young conducts Richard Strauss
3 – 6 Sep 2025
Richard Strauss’ Thus Spoke Zarathustra launched into popular consciousness in the 1960s, dramatically underscoring the opening scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Strauss’ sublime shifts from darkness to light are timeless, and jaw-dropping to experience live. Chief Conductor Simone Young is one of the world’s leading interpreters of Strauss’ music. In this concert she draws out the vast power of these works, alongside Australian pianist Andrea Lam and the virtuosity of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
