SSO Leads International Make Music Day Livestream

In celebration of international Make Music Day, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will share a global broadcast of its performance of Verdi's Requiem on 21 June live from the Sydney Opera House. With the support of Create NSW, ABC Classics, Sydney Opera House Creative Learning, Music Australia and the Australian Music Association, the livestream will be the flagship event in Australia's first participation in the worldwide music festivities.

In an unprecedented event for Make Music Day, the global Sydney Symphony Orchestra livestream will be accessible free of charge at sydneysymphony.com and will be available for 24 hours from 6.30pm, Thursday 21 June AEST. Originally launched in 1982 as Fête de la Musique in France, the annual celebration of music was renamed Make Music Day and has since evolved into a global event involving 800 cities in 120 countries.

SSO Chief Executive Officer, Emma Dunch, says that the Sydney Symphony Orchestra is excited to headline Australia's first participation in Make Music Day this year. "Music is a universal language and we're thrilled to share Verdi's Requiem with music lovers all over the world," says Dunch.

"Through regional and international touring, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has always been passionate about removing barriers to music and making it accessible to everyone. Now, with the help of technology, we're able to share music with even more people around the world. Regardless of where people are, the livestream will enable the international music community to come together and celebrate music with us."

The Hon. Don Harwin MLC, Minister for Resources, Energy and Utilities and for the Arts commends the Sydney Symphony Orchestra's initiative in this year's Make Music Day. "What a brilliant way for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to mark Australia's appearance in Make Music Day," says Minister Harwin.

"Music is for everyone and to have the SSO broadcast live to the world on this special day will be a treat for classical music lovers the world over."

The Make Music Day livestream of Verdi's Requiem will also be broadcast at the Sydney Olympic Park and in libraries across regional NSW, including Armidale, Cessnock, Canowindra, Maitland, Parkes, Tamworth, Taree, Tumut, Wagga Wagga and more, allowing communities outside of the Sydney metropolitan area to join in on the festivities.

State Librarian Dr John Vallance welcomes this exciting collaboration and expresses the hope that it would be the first of many. "Public libraries across New South Wales are increasingly becoming cultural centres for their communities," says Vallance.

"The live-streaming of SSO concerts into libraries beyond metropolitan Sydney is a great opportunity for communities to make new connections."

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra's commitment to making music accessible has seen the Orchestra tour internationally and throughout regional New South Wales annually. This year, the Orchestra celebrated 80 years of regional touring, performing in Nowra, Wollongong and Mittagong.

In 2017, over 650,000 school students across Australia joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to sing together via livestream. In collaboration with Music: Count Us In and The Arts Unit (NSW Department of Education), 3000 schools nationwide watched a simultaneous broadcast of the SSO concert, singing Shine Together as part of Music Australia's annual celebration of music in Australian schools.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra's performance of Verdi's Requiem will be conducted by international opera and concert conductor, Oleg Caetani, and feature Angel Blue (soprano), Catherine Carby (mezzo-soprano), Diego Torre (tenor) and Jérôme Varnier (bass) as soloists and The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. The livestream will take place on the first of the SSO's Verdi's Requiem performance, with the remaining concerts performed on 23 and 25 June at the Sydney Opera House.