Opera Australia Chorus Will Perform DURUFLE REQUIEM at St James' Church

Opera Australia announced its world-renowned Chorus will perform an exclusive one-night-only concert of Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem at Sydney’s historic St James’ Church on 22 May.

The 30-strong Opera Australia Chorus will lend their soaring voices to Duruflè’s exquisite music, regarded as one of the undisputed masterpieces of the choral repertoire, and taken to new heights in the acoustically glorious surrounds of St James’ Church.

The OA Chorus will be led by esteemed Chorus Master Paul Fitzsimon and accompanied by Chad Kelly who will play the church’s Bicentennial Pipe Organ, an incredible multi-million-dollar instrument that was commissioned for the Church’s 200th birthday in 2024.

Completed in 1947 and drawing on the traditional Gregorian Mass for the Dead, Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem is a transformative, meditative musical experience. A poignant reflection on life, it is among the sacred works that convey a notion of a better world beyond. From the ethereal ‘Pie Jesu’ to the transcendent ‘In Paradisum’, echoes of Gregorian chant are blended with scintillating impressionist colours and harmonic lines to create a moment of pure peace and reflection.

The 50-minute performance, sung in Latin and consisting of nine movements, offers a unique opportunity for audiences to enjoy the talents of one of Australia’s greatest vocal ensembles outside of their usual performance space at the Sydney Opera House.

In the intimate setting of the 500 seat St James Church, they will be enveloped in the delicate vocal harmonies and swelling strains of the Pipe Organ for the ultimate heart soaring, spirit healing, emotional experience.