“Carols at The House returns to the Opera House… a program that is as varied as the fruit in Christmas puddings and the coloured baubles on Christmas trees.”
– Stage Whispers, 2023 –
Here at Sydney Philharmonia Choirs we ‘really like Christmas’ – the festivity, the magic, the message of peace and harmony. Above all, we love raising the roof of the Sydney Opera House with Carols at the House!
This family-friendly concert brings together hundreds of singers (with some audience participation, of course), a full symphony orchestra and guest soloists, all conducted by Brett Weymark. And in 2025 the centrepiece is The Many Moods of Christmas – stirring arrangements of all the great carols by that iconic figure of American choral music, Robert Shaw, and Broadway orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett.
Sprinkled among the traditional favourites are modern classics, ranging from the sonorous simplicity of Henryk Górecki to the Bing Crosby standard I’ll Be Home for Christmas. Songs from Matilda the Musical and Into the Woods speak to the child inside, and the orchestra takes the spotlight in Humperdinck’s fairytale Dream Pantomime. There’s an Aussie summer vibe, with a new carol by Queensland composer Joseph Twist, and SPC favourite Capricorn bringing the celebration Down Under.
Join us for this much-loved seasonal tradition – because it simply isn’t Christmas without singing.
Friday 12 December | 8pm
Saturday 13 December | 8pm
Sunday 14 December | 2pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
This performance will run for 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.
Robert SHAW & Robert Russell BENNETT The Many Moods of Christmas
featuring all your favourite carols, with
Henryk GÓRECKI Totus Tuus (Maria! Maria!)
Walter KENT I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Deborah CHEETHAM FRAILLON The Christmas Card
Luke BYRNE Capricorn
Joseph TWIST New work†
Tim MINCHIN When I Grow Up
Engelbert HUMPERDINCK Dream Pantomime from Hansel and Gretel
and more!
† Sydney Philharmonia Choirs commission
Brett Weymark conductor
Georgina Hopson
Alexander Lewis
Symphony Chorus
Chamber Singers
VOX
Christmas Choir
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Premium $140 | A $114 | B $88 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $126| A $103| B $79 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.