ChorusOz Mahler 8 | Sydney Opera House | June 2023
BEFORE YOU REGISTER
Please take a moment to read the important information to the right.
Please ensure you can commit to the full weekend in Sydney – Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 June 2024.
Please read the Chorister Terms & Conditions here before registering.
Register online by clicking the pink links below. Or call the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Office on (02) 8274 6200 during office hours, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
Postage cut off: Tuesday 21 May. All registrations past this date will need to be collected from our office (details to be sent) or collected at check in on Saturday 8 June.
REGISTRATION
We recommend you book as soon as possible so you can receive your score and start practising.
Cost: $350 per adult – including GST – and includes:
Vocal score for Karl Jenkins The Armed Man: you have the option of using your own score, or purchasing one when you register for $39 (incl. GST). This will be sent by post.
No group registrations: individuals will need to register separately for voice parts and t-shirt sizing.
When you Register for ChorusOz®, you will be directed to a page housed by the Sydney Opera House. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is a Resident Company of the Sydney Opera House and we share a booking system. You will need to log in or register. Your ChorusOz® registration will be received by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.
As you proceed it will look like you are buying an ‘e-ticket’ to an event, but please be assured you are registering for ChorusOz®. The 8 June date you see refers to the first rehearsal date. Once completed, you will receive a confirmation email from Sydney Opera House.
Delivery options: Please select “receive via post”.
You will not be charged a booking fee for registering for ChorusOz.
Or call us on (02) 8274 6200 (Monday-Friday 9am–5pm)
ChorusOz®| The Armed Man PERFORMANCE TICKETS
Invite your family and friends along to see your performance at the Sydney Opera House. Tickets to ChorusOz®| The Armed Man will be available from Wednesday 22 November 2023. Once you have registered, you will be sent your special Chorister discount code which can be used when purchasing tickets to the performance. Seats will be very limited so we encourage you to book early!
Chorus Oz Mahler 8 | Sydney Opera House | June 2023
ABOUT ChorusOz®
ChorusOz® was created in 2006 by Brett Weymark to allow those who couldn’t commit to a regular choir the opportunity to sing once a year on a world-class stage. It has since become a fixture in the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ calendar. In 2023, after a three-year break due to the pandemic, ChorusOz returned to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.
ChorusOz® is an opportunity for singers of all levels to immerse themselves in a major choral work over a full weekend, culminating in a performance of the music. 2024 will be the 16th ChorusOz® and we will welcome people from across Australia and internationally to enjoy the experience of singing Sir Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace led by Artistic & Music Director Brett Weymark.
Participants will share the experience with hundreds of other passionate singers, world-class soloists and the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra. This is a life-changing experience and one you will never forget.
ABOUT THE ARMED MAN: A MASS FOR PEACE
Many people are familiar with Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins’ Adiemus which was popular in the 1990s. Written in 1999, The Armed Man was his first major work and has remained a very popular choice for choirs ever since, performed over 4000 times since its premiere in 2000 in the Royal Albert Hall. It was written for the relocation of the Royal Armoury Museum from London to Leeds, but also dedicated to the victims of the conflict in Kosovo. And coming at the turn of the millennium, a work of hope that the new millennium would see fewer wars than the one just gone. If only that hope came true…
Jenkins’ music is approachable, simple and easy to love. The structure is traditional: there are movements from the Latin mass from the 1400s, but it begins with a medieval French folk song called L’homme armé – the armed man is to be feared. Also included are words by the English poets Rudyard Kipling and John Dryden and Japanese poet Toge Sankichi, as well from the Hindi epic Mahābhārata and an Adhān – a Muslim call to prayer. These elements give it a universal appeal for all humanity to strive for peace and ends with the choir singing “Better is peace”.
We will also sing a stirring choral version of Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia, Sir Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem, and a wonderful new work we have especially commissioned from acclaimed Australian singers Katie Noonan and Andrew O’Connor. More details on it as they come to light.
DATES
ChorusOz® workshops will take place at Sydney Opera House on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June 2024. The concert will take place on Sunday 9 June, 5pm.
SCHEDULE
Saturday 8 June
Check in from 8am
Rehearsals 9am–4pm
Sunday 9 June
Rehearsals from 9am
Performance 5pm
PREPARING FOR THE WEEKEND
There’s no audition or vocal assessment, however, the ability to follow a music score will be an advantage. You will also need a basic understanding of music and musical terms. It is expected that you will use the score, text and teaching tracks provided as part of your registration to prepare yourself before the weekend.
T-SHIRTS
Your fee includes a souvenir ChorusOz® T-Shirt which all choristers will wear for the Sunday performance. If necessary, refer to the sizing chart below and select your size when registering.
SCORES & MUSIC
Scores will be available for posting from December 2023. The New Work will be released in January 2024.
Teaching tracks will be provided to guide you through the music and assist with your preparation. These will also be available for download and on Sound Cloud from early December 2023.
VOICE PARTS
The vocal ranges for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass are shown below.
If you are more comfortable singing the high notes in your part, please select part 1 (Soprano 1, Alto 1, Tenor 1, Bass 1).
If you are more comfortable singing the low notes in your part, please select part 2 (Soprano 2, Alto 2, Tenor 2, Bass 2).
Or call us on (02) 8274 6200 (Monday-Friday 9am–5pm)
This performance of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins is given by permission of Hal Leonard Australia Pty. Ltd. exclusive agent for Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd of London.