Profile

From the crystalline purity of 16th-century polyphony to the exuberant energy of new Australian works, Sydney Chamber Choir sings the very best of choral music in all its freshness and beauty.

Formed in 1975, Sydney Chamber Choir quickly established itself as Australia’s finest performers of Renaissance music, especially the works of Josquin des Prez. Under the leadership of founding director Nicholas Routley, the Choir was also a pioneer in revitalising Sydney performances of Bach and Handel. At the same time, Sydney Chamber Choir began a program of commissioning new music from Australian composers – a tradition which continues in the 2007 season with world premieres of works by Nigel Butterley and Paul Witney.

Sydney Chamber Choir has toured widely in eastern Australia and performed in the UK; the Choir’s performances are regularly broadcast across the country on ABC Classic FM, and CD recordings are available on the ABC Classics and Tall Poppies labels. The Choir has also recorded soundtracks for a number of feature films.

In 2006, in addition to its Sydney concert series, the Choir appeared in the inaugural Aurora Festival of contemporary music, based in western Sydney; a studio recording of the Aurora concert program has been released on CD by Publications by Wirripang. In February this year, the Choir joined with The Tallis Scholars to perform the extraordinary 40-voice motet Spem in alium in City Recital Hall Angel Place; as part of the same concert, Sydney Chamber Choir presented works by Australian composers Ross Edwards and Paul Stanhope.

• Performances (6)