Good Friday, 29 march 7:30 PM

The Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane

The Australian Voices and One Equal Music join forces once again to present John Rotar’s Magnum Opus ‘PASSIO’.

Awarded five stars by Limelight Magazine and hailed as “an extraordinarily compelling work - one which surely will stand the test of centuries in the repertoire of the greatest choral ensembles on earth,” perfor edin the modern gothic Cathedral of St Stephen’s on Good Friday, 29 March 2024, at 7:30 PM.

Under the Artistic Direction of John Rotar

COFFS HARBOUR | 12.12.23

ARMIDALE | 13.12.23

NEWCASTLE | 14.12.23

ORANGE | 15.12.23

CANBERRA | 16.12.23

SYDNEY | 17.12.23

25 November 2023

Under the Artistic Direction of John Rotar

We begin here in Brisbane, the city of our inception…

‘Celebrating Thirty Years of The Australian Voices’ brings together a three decade legacy of Australian choral music.

Get ready for new commissions, ground breaking classics, alumni performances, former artistic director appearances, major announcements, record number collaborations, and more!

As we come together to commemorate the last thirty years, and look forward to a future that is brighter than ever, we hope you can join us.

Under the Artistic Direction of John Rotar

17 September 2023

Featuring Mansfield State High School

2 September 2023

Under the Artistic Direction of John Rotar

Carindale | Hamilton | Sandgate

Under the Artistic Direction of John Rotar

20 August 2023

4 August 2023

The Australian Voices is thrilled to be the guest performer for Foco Nuevo this month.

The spectacular musical power duo, Sue Monk and Lachlan Hurse have been dear friends and collaborators of The Australian Voices for many years. We often enjoy seeing them in our audience at local Brisbane events and have performed their stunning work ‘The Shore’ more times than we could possibly count.

We are so excited to finally share the stage with our friends, as we perform alongside Jumping Fences in a great lineup for this event.

Come along for mulled wine and cake, great music, and immaculate vibes!

Launceston feat. Vox Harmony | 5 July

Conversations with Composers: John Rotar | 6 July

Transcendence with Sjaella | 7 July

Meridians with Sjaella, Allegri & Hobart Chamber Orchestra | 8 July

Singer’s Lounge | 8 July

Grand Finale Concert | 9 July

The two main works on this concert’s program will take you on a tour - not just of the planets - but of the whole universe of sound you can create with an orchestra.

The main work is Gustav Holst’s mighty masterpiece The Planets, where Holst created a series of connected musical scenes, not describing the actual cosmic planets, but the astrological characteristics of the Roman gods that the planets were named after. The result was an instant hit with the public. The Planets has taken on a life of its own, from being referenced in movie soundtracks to being converted to anthems, but there’s nothing like hearing it live and loud in the amazing acoustic of the QPAC Concert Hall.

South Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung will lend her unique touch to this work and the equally fascinating Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra by Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov. These dreamy, cinematic songs, performed by the radiant soprano Sara Macliver will round out a concert of orchestra music at its most atmospheric.

CONDUCTED BY SHIYEON SUNG

Featuring Sara Macliver (Soprano), Queensland Symphony Orchestra & The Australian Voices

26 March 2023

Premiere of John Rotar’s setting of the Passion of St John

25 February 2023

Under the Artistic Direction of John Rotar

Join The Australian Voices for the opening concert of 2023, Sea Children. 2023 marks our 30th year of existence and as such, we are taking a look back through what the group has done over its three decades of existence. This first concert takes its name from one of The Australian Voice’s many albums and features many works which have come to define the Australian choral sound over the years. With music of easy beachy brightness, to ethereal aquatic splendour Sea Children explore our Australian identity as a nation surrounded by water and the deep human stories of those who live here.

Toowoomba, 19 November | Brisbane, 3 December

Conducted by John Rotar

In High Places, The Australian Voices will take you to soaring heights, deep into the mountains, and far away into ethereal worlds of dreams. This concert takes its name from a classic Stephen Leek piece, and several of Leek’s works will take us on a choral journey through various landscapes of Australia. The rest of the concert features several world premiers and is made up almost entirely of works by current and past members of The Australian Voices, showcasing the incredible talent of the people that make up TAV!

Toowoomba, 13 August | Brisbane, 21 August

Conducted by John Rotar

Come experience the human voice in all its technicolour possibilities as The Australian Voices present Earthdance. From rugged, sonic landscapes that conjure vast panoramic images of the natural world, to melodic poetry reflecting our place in the natural, to music that just moves, Earthdance explores the unique way that Australian composers have used the human voice to paint the world around them.

Toowoomba, 23 April | Brisbane, 8 May

Conducted by John Rotar

Join The Australian Voices for an exciting and eclectic concert of Australian choral music, ranging from silly to the sublime. Songs of the Sacred and Secular explores music of both profundity and profanity, and how these seemingly opposite conditions can hold a mirror to each other. Featuring several world premieres, works from the Australian vocal canon by Butterly, Hopkins and Leek, and much more!

Streamed Exclusively Online, 11 February

Developed in collaboration with ARIA-nominated artist, Rafeal Karlen, Camerata, Singer and Lyricist Pearly Black and The Australian Voices perform Sinking Cities.

Inspired by Turkish photographer Emin Ozmen’s photo essay on Hasankeyf, this large-scale work for saxophone, choir and string orchestra explores 12 000 years of history washed away.

Tasmanian Festival of Voices | Hobart & Launceston

Conducted by John Rotar

Toowoomba, 28 November | Brisbane, 4 December

Conducted by John Rotar

Join The Australian Voices as our new Artistic Director John Rotar leads the group in a vibrant program of luminous Australian choral music. Featuring works from Stephen Leek, Matthew Orlovich, Gordon Hamilton, Amber Evans, Sally Whitwell, Margaret Tesch-Muller, Sue Monk and Lachlan Hurse as well as some exciting new commissions from Isabella Gerometta, Forrest Pierce and John Rotar.

Palace Cinemas, Fortitude Valley, 24 October

Conducted by John Rotar

Join us for the release of the film Strong Female Lead. The film is about Australia’s struggle with the notion of women in power, using only archival footage from Julia Gillard’s three-year term in office. Earlier this year we recorded new music by Rob Davidson for the film and we will reprise this during the Q&A after the showing.

Maleny, 26 August

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

Join The Australian Voices for Gordon’s final concert as Artistic Director. The program features music commissioned by the group in 2020 on the theme of "Far and Near', as well as works by Elgar Bruckner and J. S. Bach.

Brisbane, 19 March | Toowoomba, 20 March

Conducted by Amber Evans & Andrew Firth

These concerts will feature the premieres of five works by Lyle Chan, Jaret Choolun, Chris Sainsbury, Olivia Swift and Margaret Tesch-Muller, commissioned in response to the shutdowns of 2020.

Brisbane, 4 December

Conducted by Amber Evans & Andrew Firth

Nine commissioned works on the theme ‘Far and Near’. The Australian Voices present premieres by Nico Muhly, Lisa Young, Melody Eötvös, Sally Whitwell, Callum Kennedy, Alys Rayner, John Rotar, Blake Peterson and Christina Mairs.

Brisbane, september

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

Brisbane Festival serenades 190 suburbs of Brisbane. Over three weeks of the Festival, pop-up concerts will happen in local neighbourhoods. The Australian Voices sings from the back of a truck!

[POST-PONED DUE TO COVID-19]

House Concert, 9 April | Beyond the Melody, 10 April 10:30AM | Of Land, Sea and Sky, 10 April 5PM | Faure Reqiuem, 12 April 10:30AM

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

TAV is in residence at Four Winds Easter Festival. The performances will celebrate the rich diversity of The Australian choral tradition, featuring many different styles of singing, from arrangements of folk and popular songs as well as Faure’s Requiem and new works.

[POST-PONED DUE TO COVID-19]

Ukaria Cultural Centre South Australia, April 19

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

The Australian Voices present an earthy, soaring program unified by gleaming soundscapes and female compositional voices. From light, comes darkness: the ensemble presents their freshly-devised darK, an ambient, pulsing, quasi-improvised luminal sound bath to performed in near darkness. We also include a set of motets from Caterina Assandra (c. 1590 – after 1618), an Italian composer and Benedictine nun, whose surviving Opus 2, Motetti a due a tre voci op.2 is very highly-regarded.

[POST-PONED DUE TO COVID-19]

Brisbane, 28 May

Transience and homelessness in the première of a new 32-part setting of the Gavin Bryars classic and a remake of a truly legendary canon from the English Renaissance. The world première performances of a new choral arrangement of Gavin Bryars’s epochal minimalist work inspired by and based on the recording of a homeless human, Jesus’ blood never failed me yet, presented alongside an extended modern version of the extraordinary 13-part canon from the early Renaissance Eton Choirbook.

[CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19]

Stanthorpe, August 22

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

Featuring the premiere of a newly commissioned work from composer-in-residence Alys Rayner.

November 27-29

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

St Mary’s Anglican Church, Kangaroo Point | February 16

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

Traditional and modern music from Australia and beyond, with stunning music by Edward Elgar, Paul Stanhope and the Italian Renaissance composer Caterina Assandra.

St Monica’s Cathedral, Cairns City | March 9

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

After a weekend of workshops with students from St Monica’s College and St Augustine’s College, The Australian Voices perform with and for the local school communities. A wonderful experience, bringing Australian choral music to Far North Regional Queensland.

December 15 | Home of the Arts, Gold Coast

Conducted by Andrew Firth

‘Calling Home’ is an end-of-year concert celebration that brings together people of all ages, faiths and traditions. The worldly voices of Yirrmal, Parvyn Singh, Solli Raphael, Lior and Sheikh Mohamed interact with euphoric musical arrangements from William Barton, Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra and The Australian Voices. Physical theatre company, Five Angry Men will perform The Bells as part of this uplifting festive event.

January 1 | Halcyon Stage

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

PROGRAM:

Gordon Hamilton | Sunrise

Whitwell | Home

Choolun | A Summer Storm

Trad. arr. Alys Rayner | Moreton Bay

Leek | Coraparena

Bernard of Clairvaux | Jesu dulcis memoria

Tomás Luis de Victoria | Jesu dulcis memoria

Josh Adams | Jesu dulcis memoria

Gordon Hamilton | Antarctica

Gordon Hamilton | The Bell

Gordon Hamilton | Dark Hour

Rob Davidson | We Apologise

Rob Davidson | Not Now, Not Ever!

August 18 | Maleny Community Centre

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

Join us at the Maleny Winter Festival for an afternoon of stunning sounds followed by a relaxed reception on the deck to meet the singers. The program will feature a new composition by Gordon Hamilton, based on his recent journey to Antarctica to help you get into a wintery mood.

August 31 | City Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

City Recital Hall Angel Place and composer-mastermind Lyle Chan have joined forces to create Extended Play a spectacular program jam-packed with 12 hours of eclectic, contemporary, challenging and dynamic new music across the entire four floors of the venue. TAV joins a stellar line up of soloists and ensembles.

November 5 | City Recital Hall, Sydney

The Australian Voices join Sydney’s ‘chamber music all-stars’ for a performance where spiritual and modern worlds collide. With sublime favourites by Faure and Mozart, the performance also includes a rare presentation of Britten’s forceful Cantata Misericordium and a ‘re-composition’ of Mozart’s glorious Requiem by choral Artistic Director and composer Gordon Hamilton.

July 13 | Federation Concert Hall, Hobart

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

The Australian Voices present an inspired program of fascinating music by contemporary composers, including Antarctica, composed by Gordon last year on the southern continent. The second half of this double bill is Cherubini’s Requiem, performed by The Festival of Voices Chorus and Hobart Chamber Orchestra under Graham Abbott.

June 23 | USC Art Gallery, Sippy Downs

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

June 22 | Gympie Civic Centre

Audiences in Gympie have the exclusive experience of seeing The Australian Voices join forces with Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. This first-time collaboration will be in a stirring and evocative performance including the much-loved Barber ‘Adagio for Strings’ / ‘Agnus Dei’.

April 13-16 | Fremantle, Western Australia

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

The Australian Voices features as an invited choir at A.N.C.A. Choralfest 2019, a celebration of choral music, bringing together some of Australia’s finest choirs. TAV will perform in a number of concerts, pop-up performances and seminars. TAV will perform all Australian music, including the recent political speeches set to music by Rob Davidson, as well as Gordon Hamilton’s Antarctica, which he composed at Casey Station in Antarctica in 2018.

February 17 | USC Gallery

Featuring the world premiere of Antarctica, a work for recorded sounds and voices composed by Gordon Hamilton at Casey Station, Antarctica.

November 25 - December 3

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

The Australian Voices tour towns in NSW with a bonus stop in Canberra to present a program of Australian works, sacred classical music and Christmas songs. The tour is named for the featured work on the program, Red Live Breath by Cathy Milliken. In this ritualistic work, the choristers gather to sing short phrases, play stones, exchange sonorities with whirlies and interact with torches: all actions that set the space as a magical place.

November 25 | Armidale, NSW

November 26 | Mudgee, NSW

November 27 | Orange, NSW

November 28 | Lithgow, NSW

November 30 | Canberra, ACT

December 1-2 | Sydney, NSW

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

November 16 - 18 | Nature’s Concert Hall, Barragga Bay

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

This new annual festival is a celebration of young people’s music-making and a culmination of the energetic, inspirational and creative programs that Four Winds brings to young people throughout the year.

Singers from The Australian Voices will lead workshops for students and participate in the Showcase Concert on Sunday.

November 11 | QPAC Playhouse, Brisbane

Armistice is an exciting new theatrical performance reflecting on Australia’s wartime and peace-keeping history combining song, music, dance, spoken word and archival footage.

Marking 100 years since the end of WWI, Armistice will recognise a centenary of service, sacrifice and achievement.

Featuring an extraordinary collection of material from The Australian War Memorial, this performance includes artwork from Official War Artists Ben Quilty, George Lambert, Will Longstaff and Ivor Hele. It also includes images, videos, letters and diary entries spanning the 100 years of conflicts: helping to bring the history to life for audiences.

October 12-20 | Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane

A breathtaking celebration of life. Melding beautiful new choreography by Natalie Weir and a sublime vocal score composed by Gordon Hamilton performed by The Australian Voices,'Everyday Requiem' celebrates the "ordinary" moments that make life special. Exploring the rich tapestry of life, 'Everyday Requiem' will be a moving and inspiring dance theatre and music experience.

September 15 | St Jame’s Old Cathedral, Batman St, West Melbourne

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

PROGRAM

Hildegard von Bingen, arr. G. Hamilton | O Ignee Spiritus

Trad. Swedish, arr N. Falkenhagen | Herr Mannelig*

Michael Kennedy, arr. I. Gerometta | Lay Fallow

Sean O’Boyle | Pie Jesu, ecce tu pulchra*

Wipo von Burgund, arr. G. Hamilton | Christ ist erstanden

G. Hamilton (after Rabanus Maurus) | Veni Creator Spiritus*

Lachlan Skipworth | Over and Over

Rafael Karlen | More Paint*

Gordon Hamilton | Turing Believes Machines Think

Cathy Milliken | Red Live Breath

Stephen Leek | Ngana, Kondalilla

William Barton | Kalkadunga Yurdu

Lisa Young | Misra Chappu*, Other Plans*

*commissioned by The Australian Voices

July 9 - 10 | Hobart

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

Voices in the Asylum

Monday 9 July, 6:00PM

The Asylum, Port Arthur Historic Site

Choral Showcase

(TAV + Choir of St James)

Tuesday 10 July, 7:30PM

Hobart Town Hall

Short Performance

Singers Lounge, Long Gallery Salamanca Arts Centre

Tuesday 10 July 10:15PM

June 2 | University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

The Australian Voices presents a recital of repertoire from our new album.

Workshop | 3:00PM

Concert | 7:30PM

April 7 | QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane

Conducted by Stefan Parkman

Featuring The Australian Voices and Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Soprano | Morgan England-Jones

Baritone | Teddy Tahu Rhodes

January 28 | Champions Church, Thornlands

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

New Australian pieces and old favourites.

December 13 | Auditorio Pabellón M, Monterrey, NL

TAV appears with Alondra de la Parra for a Christmas concert in Monterrey, Mexico. Featuring famous Christmas music, Mexican tunes and William Barton's atmospheric Kalkadunga Yurdu.

November 29 - December 5

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

November 30 | Liceo Chapero, Guatemala

December 1 | Comalapa, Guatemala

December 2| Tepcán, Guatemala

December 3 | San Martin, Guatemala

December 5 | Antigua Guatemala

November 18 | QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane

Conducted by Alondra de la Parra

Featuring The Australian Voices and Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Violin | Maxim Vengerov

November 9 | Queensland Conservatorium Courtyard, South Bank

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

In this ritualistic new work by Berlin-based Australian composer Cathy Milliken, the choristers set up portable lights; gathering to sing short phrases, all actions that set the courtyard as a magical place. The text is taken from Picasso poetry.

October 20 | Randwick Town Hall, Sydney

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

PROGRAM

Trad. Tibetan, arr. Hamilton: Heart Sutra

Lisa Young: Misa Chappu

Paul Stanhope: Deserts of Exile

Gordon Hamilton: Dark Hour

John Rotar: Salve Ich*

Gordon Hamilton: In Principio*

Trad. Icelandic: Island

Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson: Heyr, himna smi∂ur

Olivia Swift: Sleepless

Major Lazer, arr. Hamilton: Powerful*

Lachlan Horse & Sue Monk: The Shore

Jaret Choolun: Flight

*premiere

August 12 | QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane

Conducted by Alondra de la Parra

Mozart composed this mass for his own musical pleasure. It began as a celebration of his marriage to Constanze, who was one of the soloists in an early performance.

PROGRAM

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1

Mozart: Great C Minor Mass

Featuring The Australian Voices and Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Soloists: Siobhan Stagg, Barbara Zavros, Paul McMahon, David Wakeham

July 22 | QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane

Conducted by Simone Young

Featuring The Australian Voices and Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Violin | Ray Chen

May 7 | Canberra International Music Festival

July 14 | Festival of Voices, Tasmania

July 23 | Unashamedly Original Festival, Sydney

September 15 | Brisbane Festival

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

Featuring Topology and The Australian Voices

Prime Ministerial speeches set to music: Topology and The Australian Voices bring iconic speeches and exceptional musicianship together to celebrate pivotal moments in Australian history. Composed by Robert Davidson, John Babbage and Gordon Hamilton, the performance traverses pivotal moments that have shaped Australia. The Singing Politician takes the words right out of our Prime Ministers’ mouths – from Robert Menzies to Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser to Paul Keating, Bob Hawke to Tony Abbott – and marries them seamlessly to an overlay of stirring music and choral work.

“A fascinating and artistically absorbing musico-political event”

– Limelight Magazine

“It is simultaneously quite serious, quite moving and absolutely hilarious”

– James Morrison

April 30 | Woodfordia

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

TAV appears at the climax of The Planting Festival for dark, chant-inspired music, candles and a bonfire!

March 25 | ABC Studio 420, Brisbane

Conducted by Gordon Hamilton

In this recital at QSO Current, TAV crams six world-firsts into just one concert. Highlights include György Ligeti’s 'Lux Aeterna' – admired for its micropolyphony and propelled into popular culture in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey – and Stephen Leek’s spectacularly-guttural 'Wirindji', about mystical women from The Dreaming that were literally man eaters. A typewriter will make [at least] one appearance.

March 22-23 | QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane

Conducted by Marc Taddei

The 2017 World Science Festival Brisbane will screen Stanley Kubrick’s seminal cinematic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey with the ground-breaking score performed live by Queensland Symphony Orchestra with The Australian Voices.