Sydney Chamber Choir Will Perform IN PARADISUM at St James' Church

Sydney Chamber Choir will perform In Paradisum - a tapestry of choral music that offers reflection, consolation and light. Performed at St James' King St, this program is designed to let the sounds of Estonian, Nordic and Australian composers unfold with beautiful resonance. The performance is on Saturday, 30 May at 5pm.

At the heart of the concert is Galina Grigorjeva's In Paradisum, music of luminous simplicity whose floating lines seem to suspend time itself. Sacred reflections continue in Edvard Grieg's Ave Maris Stella, radiant and gently lyrical, and Knut Nystedt's profound Stabat Mater, a work of stark intensity and quiet anguish. From Arvo Pärt, the choir performs Bogoroditse Dyevo — music of crystalline clarity that distils ancient texts into moments of piercing stillness.

Northern voices are also heard in Jan Sandström's Det är en Ros Utsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming), where traditional melody is suspended inside glowing modern harmonies, and Sven-David Sandström's Four Songs of Love, a tender exploration of love in its many forms. The program turns to nature and memory in Veljo Tormis's Autumn Landscapes, music that feels elemental and rooted in the rhythms of the land. Urmas Sisask's Benedictio brings a sense of celestial wonder, while contemporary Australian voices are represented by Anne Cawrse's The Greatest of These and Joe Twist's Lament  - each with a distinct and deeply personal response to loss, tenderness and hope.

For the Nystedt & Twist, the Choir welcomes acclaimed cello soloist Julian Smiles. 

Says conductor and artistic director Sam Allchurch: “The cello's voice - so close to the human - will make for a beautiful collaboration. In the hands of Julian, one of Australia's most distinguished cellists, the cello will intertwine with the choir, amplifying the humanity and compassion within each score.”