Eumeralla, a War Requiem for Peace by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon

11 September 2024

In the Concert Hall

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Contemporary Music

Eumeralla is a work two thousand generations in the making.

Songs that break silence

When celebrated Yorta Yorta/Yuin soprano-composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon visited Lake Condah in south-west Victoria, she was haunted by the voices of the Gunditjmara people who had lost their lives protecting their country.

Her immediate response was to write this powerful Requiem, to ease the troubled spirit of the land and to amplify the importance of our shared history.

Experience the colossal sound of Eumeralla in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in this milestone Sydney premiere. With a full symphony orchestra and massed choirs – including the voices of Dhungala Children’s Choir – and sung entirely in the ancient dialects of the Gunditjmara people, Cheetham Fraillon has created a musical work that is a compelling call for peace and reconciliation.

‘One day I hope to walk on that country and feel no restless spirit – just the strength of two thousand generations of lives lived and culture sustained.’ – Deborah Cheetham Fraillon.

Presented by Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Programme

DEBORAH CHEETHAM FRAILLON AO Eumeralla, A War Requiem for Peace, A Short Black Opera production

Artist information

Benjamin Northey conductor 
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon soprano 
Jess Hitchcock mezzo soprano
Jud Arthur baritone            
Dhungala Children’s Choir 
Students of Conservatorium High School, Sydney 
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs 
Tom Day artwork  
Dr Vicki Couzens and Travers Eira Gunditjmara translations 

Hear from composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO

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