Sydney Philharmonia Choirs present A CHILD OF OUR TIME
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is proud to present one of the most significant and enduring compositions of the 20th century, British composer Sir Michael Tippett’s powerful oratorio, A Child of Our Time.
Written and premiered during World War II, this haunting masterpiece is on the same level as Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem as a passionate expression of an artist’s fury and despair at humanity’s capacity for evil; and a commanding musical cry for peace.
Brought to life by an incredible line up of soloists comprising Yorta Yorta/Yuin soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, ARIA award winner Teddy Tahu Rhodes – appearing with the Choirs for the second time this year, following his acclaimed turn as Christus in St Matthew Passion in April, Anna Dowsley – direct from back-to-back seasons in Europe, and Nicholas Jones – on a rare visit between seasons with the Opéra national de Paris; alongside a mass choir of just over 500 singers and full orchestra, this incredibly powerful and moving performance is not to be missed.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Artistic & Music Director Brett Weymark OAM :
It was during rehearsals for Cheetham Fraillon’s own epic Eumeralla: A War Requiem for Peace, that he realised that hers was the voice that he wanted for the role of the Mother in Tippett’s work.
I’m absolutely thrilled to be joined on stage by Deborah, an artist who brings such authority and an incredible depth of emotion to every to every performance. Paired with Teddy, Anna and Nick, this quartet of artists is a dream for any conductor to work with. The Choirs’ virtuoso Symphony Chorus and Festival Chorus will bring to life the haunting texts of the African American spirituals – a genius inclusion in Tippett’s masterpiece, inspired by JS Bach’s Passions, and in this context broadly encompassing the diverse voices of the oppressed.
Weymark first conducted A Child of Our Time in the aftermath of September 11, and then again in a highly acclaimed season for the Adelaide Festival in 2021, at a time when Australia’s borders were still closed to the world.
He recalls that the first time he heard Tippett’s oratorio he was “left breathless by the explosive opening with its foreboding text, ‘The world turns on its dark side’.” – a line that remains potent to him to this day.
Weymark concludes
Although the writing of the work was prompted by specific political events in the turmoil before World War II Weymark points out that – as Tippett himself had often emphasised – its message is universal, with moments of great poignancy that audiences today will easily relate to. Through his characters, Tippett speaks to us directly of understanding and reconciliation, and humanity’s capacity to turn once again from shadow into light.
Just as Tippett’s modern classic came alive as an expression of the period in which he was living, numerous artists and composers throughout history have fought to raise awareness and/or find solutions for the contemporary issues of the day.
It is in this spirit that in the opening half of this concert, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs presents two new works to be conducted by Associate Music Director Elizabeth Scott – the Australian premiere of British composer Joanna Marsh’s A Plastic Theatre, and the world premiere of a new Sydney Philharmonia Choirs commission from Australian Alice Chance. For these works, Sydney Philharmonia’s incredible youth choir VOX will be joined by soloist Anna Dowsley in A Plastic Theatre.
An extended setting of a five-act text by writer, artist, scholar, curator and educator Katie Schaag, Marsh’s A Plastic Theatreexplores the yin and yang of humanity’s relationship with plastic – as one of the most useful materials on the planet but also one of the most destructive, with the irony being that it is almost indestructible itself.
A work of pathos and humour, this dramatic cantata for massed choir and orchestra plays on the twin themes of plastic as pollution and (neuro) plasticity as virtue, in a fast-changing world where we all need to hone our ability to adapt.
Chance’s work speaks directly to such plasticity, her new composition a moment of stillness and reflection presented in two parts, inspired by an expanded understanding of traditional settings of the Agnus Dei.
For the first she has worked alongside friend and longtime collaborator Kaylynn Zaro – a song and language custodian of Mer Island (Murray Island, Torres Strait), and Noel Zaro, to create an acapella setting of a traditional hymn of the Mer Island people, Adira Arenio. In the second Chance presents her own experimental setting of the traditional Latin text.
Chance’s work was commissioned by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for VOX, supported by The Silo Collective.
Book now to secure your seats for this absorbing afternoon of music, 2pm Saturday September 13 at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.
Season Details
Venue: Sydney Opera House | Concert Hall
Date: 13 Sept 2025
For more information click HERE
