Over 200 Artists Join For Two Monumental Sydney Symphony Orchestra Events

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles will lead two visionary programs at the Sydney Town Hall - Beethoven Missa Solemnis (18-21 March) and Italian Opera Gala (25-28 March).

For Beethoven Missa Solemnis, more than 70 Sydney Symphony Orchestra musicians, 130 Sydney Philharmonia Choirs choristers, and Australian artists soprano Siobhan Stagg, tenor Samuel Sakker and bass-baritone Derek Welton, and Russian-born mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya will bring Beethoven's emotional and powerful Missa Solemnis to life. This epic choral work is often cited as the composer's greatest masterpiece.

In the following week, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conductor Donald Runnicles will again be joined by Stagg, Berzhanskaya, Sakker and Welton for an Italian Opera Gala, performing the most celebrated dramatic and passionate works of Italian opera.

Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles shares what audiences can expect at these showstopping performances: "In a time when our world seems increasingly fractured, the sublime Missa Solemnis of Ludwig van Beethoven reminds us of what bonds us - a work that celebrates our humanity and with blazing intensity reflects our common desire for peace and harmony.

"In that spirit, it is a source of great pride to also bring together four remarkable young vocalists together over two weeks with the wonderful Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Besides their timeless, gorgeous melodies, the operas of Mozart and Verdi are also memorable for the deep humanity at their core."

Holding titles with several international orchestras and performing regularly with the world's leading ensembles, Runnicles is celebrated globally for his approach to big works, and symphonic and operatic interpretations. During his time as Music Director of the San Francisco Opera, he led more than 60 opera productions and was awarded the San Francisco Opera medal - the highest accolade offered by the company. In Italian Opera Gala (25-28 March) audiences will experience Runnicles lead the Sydney Symphony and four leading voices of the opera world as they perform works by Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and other composers synonymous with Italian opera.

2020 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The Sydney Symphony's Beethoven Missa Solemnis program will be the first in the Orchestra's 2020 Season celebrating his works and significant contribution to classical music. Beethoven's work will also be performed in Beethoven and Brahms (15-18 April), Simone Young Conducts Beethoven (29 July-1 August), and A Global Ode to Joy (7-9 August).

Tickets to Beethoven Missa Solemnis (18-21 March) and Italian Opera Gala (25-28 March) are available via the Sydney Symphony website or through the Box Office on (02) 8215 4600.