Ode to Joy Beethoven & Smyth
26 October 2024
In the Concert Hall
Classical Music
Too often the voices of the past have been silenced. Not any more! The Choirs give full voice to Ethel Smyth’s passionate Mass in D alongside Beethoven’s universal anthem for freedom, ‘Ode to Joy’.
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| Saturday 26 October 2024 | 2pm |
| Standard Adults aged 18+ | Price |
| Premium | $135 |
| A Reserve | $110 |
| B Reserve | $85 |
| C Reserve | $60 |
| D Reserve | $45 |
| Concession Full-time Aust Student Pensioner card holders (Aust. only) | Price |
| Premium | $122 |
| A Reserve | $96 |
| B Reserve | $75 |
| C Reserve | $55 |
| D Reserve | $40 |
| Children under 18 years Under 30 years | Price |
| C Reserve | $30 |
| D Reserve | $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.
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 22 November 2023
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 55 minutes, with one interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Useful information:
Ode to Joy: Beethoven & Smyth
The critic George Bernard Shaw told Ethel Smyth that her ‘magnificent’ Mass would ‘stand up in the biggest company!’ and we wholeheartedly agree.
For this Festival Chorus concert, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs has paired Smyth’s fiercely passionate creation with Beethoven’s mighty ‘Ode to Joy’ finale from his Ninth Symphony. Experience two impressively defiant personalities who, in their own ways, pursued grand visions and broke new ground with music that speaks powerfully of struggle and triumph.
With the ‘Ode to Joy’, Beethoven gave the world an anthem to ‘universal brotherhood’, an expression of freedom and joy. At the other end of the 19th century, Dame Ethel (the first female composer to be so honoured) was also a vocal champion of women’s rights and the suffrage movement – the universal sisterhood, in other words. Who better to compose the suffragette anthem, The March of the Women, with its bold words of hope? ‘Nought can ye win but by faith and daring’ – we think Beethoven would have agreed.
Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Program
Ethel SMYTH
Mass in D major
The March of the Women (Suffragette Song)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Consecration of the House – Overture
‘Ode to Joy’ – Choral finale from Symphony No.9
Artists
Elizabeth Scott conductor
Bronwyn Douglass soprano
Helen Sherman mezzo-soprano
Bradley Daley tenor
Michael Honeyman baritone
Festival Chorus
The Sydney Youth Orchestra
with members of Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Season 2024
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Experience the power and passion of choral music in the Choirs’ 2024 season. From Baroque beauties to the Showstoppers of Rodgers & Hammerstein, you’ll find music for every musical taste – and some brilliant new discoveries.
Plan your visit
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.
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 Hough performs Mendelssohn
4 – 7 Jun 2025
Sir Stephen Hough is one of the world’s great pianists, captivating audiences with his sublime artistry.
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.
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.
