Donald Runnicles conductsThe Protecting Veil
27 - 28 March 2024
In the Concert Hall
Classical Music
The Sydney Symphony’s Principal Guest Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles has created a program of inspiring, uplifting music for the spirit, with works by Tavener, Wagner and Mendelssohn.
| Date | Time |
| Wednesday 27 March 2024 | 7pm |
| Thursday 28 March 2024 | 7pm |
General Public tickets on-sale
10am, Thursday 9 November 2023
In English
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 1 hour and 50 minutes, including interval.
Age
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
| Standard | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $89 |
| A Reserve | $75 |
| B Reserve | $50 |
| Australian Pensioner | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $65 |
| B Reserve | $50 |
| Under 18 Child | Price |
|---|---|
| Premium | $89 |
| A Reserve | $60 |
| B Reserve | $50 |
| Australian Student | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $60 |
| B Reserve | $50 |
| Under 35 | Price |
|---|---|
| A Reserve | $65 |
| B Reserve | $50 |
$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 frequently asked questions below.
Also on this page
Seating map
An exquisite universe
Deeply connected to ancient traditions, John Tavener dedicated his life to expressing beauty and truth through music. In The Protecting Veil he created an exquisite universe, awe-inspiring and intensely beautiful.
English cellist Matthew Barley is the ideal soloist for this deeply touching meditation for cello and orchestra, his recent recording of it praised as a 'performance of great tenderness and eloquence' by BBC Music Magazine.
After the contemplation of Tavener, Wagner’s ‘Good Friday Spell’ from Parsifal is bright and ecstatic. A celebration of life and the world, the triumphant sound of the brass is enchanting and delightful. And Mendelssohn’s triumphant Fifth Symphony is the perfect way to send you back out into the world.
Presented by Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Programme
TAVENER The Protecting Veil
WAGNER Parsifal: Act 3: Good Friday Spell
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No.5, Reformation
Artist information
Donald Runnicles conductor
Matthew Barley cello
Season 2024
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Join Chief Conductor Simone Young and a dazzling roster of guest artists in performances that unleash the power of music that is totally alive.
Every Sydney Symphony performance is unique. Each is an opportunity to experience a musical story as it unfolds around you. Make those moments yours.
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
Donald Runnicles conducts Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony
12 – 14 Sep 2025
You can feel the tension in Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Written after he had been denounced by Stalin for writing ‘muddle instead of music’, Shostakovich’s response was this symphony. Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is a mighty, sweeping masterpiece that unleashes the full power of the orchestra; a bold statement that found universal approval. Principal Guest Conductor Sir Donald Runnicles is world-renowned for connecting audiences to the emotion of music, which means you’ll feel every dramatic twist and turn, with goosebumps guaranteed in the blazing finale.
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. 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.
