Professor Brian Cox: Symphonic Horizons Live with the Sydney Symphony
30 November – 2 December 2023
In the Concert Hall
Explore the secrets of the universe with Professor Brian Cox and the Sydney Symphony, in a special event that combines ground-breaking science with the power of a live orchestra.
| Date | Time |
| Thursday 30 November | 7pm |
| Friday 1 December | 7pm |
Saturday 2 December | 2pm |
Saturday 2 December | 7pm |
| Standard Adults aged 17+ | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $141 |
| A Reserve | $121 |
| B Reserve | $91 |
| C Reserve | $75 |
| D Reserve | $55 |
| Concession Full Time Domestic Students, Australian Pensioner Card Holders | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | n/a |
| A Reserve | $109 |
| B Reserve | $82 |
| C Reserve | $68 |
| D Reserve | n/a |
| VIP Post-show add-on panel Must be purchased with a performance ticket (will be offered after confirming performance seat selection) | Price |
|---|---|
| Unreserved Seating | $48 |
$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 Symphony Orchestra. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the FAQ below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
10am, Tuesday 27 June, 2023
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter on-sale
9am, Wednesday 28 June, 2023
General Public tickets on-sale
10am, Tuesday 4 July, 2023
Wheelchair accessible
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Age
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 Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Symphonic Horizons
Professor Brian Cox, one of the world’s pre-eminent physicists, explores the secrets of the universe and our place in it together with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Northey.
Through the latest extraordinary imagery and some of the greatest orchestral music ever written, Professor Cox examines astonishing cosmic ideas and creates the links between cosmology and music, showing how both can teach us what it means to be human, and what it means to live a small, finite life in a vast, spectacular universe.
Don’t miss Symphonic Horizons, a unique presentation of music and science at the iconic Sydney Opera House.
VIP Discussion Panel
Following the performance, you can join us for a special VIP experience as Brian Cox and Benjamin Northey reflect on the performance and continue the conversation, together with ABC presenter Fran Kelly. Just purchase any ticket in any reserve to the Brian Cox Symphonic Horizons and select the VIP experience for $48 in your cart*.
Program
SIBELIUS Symphony no. 5: 3rd Movement
WESTLAKE Missa Solis – Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger)
MAHLER Symphony no. 5: 4th Movement
STRAUSS Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Artists
Presenter / Artist
Professor Brian Cox
Conductor
Benjamin Northey
Soprano
Jess Hitchcock
Presented by Sydney Symphony Orchestra
*VIP Panel Discussion tickets only available to ticket holders of Professor Brian Cox: Symphonic Horizons performances. VIP Panel Discussion performance dates chosen, must be the same date and quantity, and relative time as the purchased Symphonic Horizon performance tickets. VIP Panel Discussion tickets are subject to availability. VIP Panel Discussion start times are approximate, and will commence at the conclusion of the Symphonic Horizons performances. Approximately 30 minute run time.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Feel the connection and join the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and their Chief Conductor Simone Young in the renewed Concert Hall for the 2025 Season, filled with beautiful, inspiring music from the greatest composers of all time. There’s so much to discover.
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.
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.
