NOMINATION: Luminary - Organisation
The Luminary Awards seek to honour organisations who, through sustained contribution (demonstrated over a period 3-5 years prior), have impacted our community on a national scale through visionary leadership, fearless trailblazing, high-level artistic practice, and championing of Australian repertoire.
If you believe you are nominated in the wrong category or the details of your nomination to be incorrect, please contact the AMC via email at awards@australianmusiccentre.com.au before proceeding with the nomination.
Art Music Award guidelines →
Nominee
Sydney Chamber Choir
Nominated Project/Activity
Commissioning, performing and recording of new Australia choral music
State/Territory
New South Wales
Nominator Statement
Sydney Chamber Choir celebrates its 50th continuous year of operations in 2025. Founded in 1975, the choir has a longstanding tradition of commissioning, performing and recording new Australian choral works under each of its Musical Directors: Nicholas Routley, Paul Stanhope; Richard Gill and Sam Allchurch. However, the choir has been particularly active in this respect in the period from 2021 to 2024.
In 2021, the choir commissioned First Nations composer Brenda Gifford to write a musical acknowledgement of country, Minga Bagan. It was premiered at the Sydney Festival that year and given a repeat performance in 2022 which was filmed and released on YouTube.
2021 also saw the premiere performances of 2 major new Australian choral works commissioned by the choir: Paul Stanhopes Requiem (45 minutes) and Joe Twists Timeliness Land: An Australian Song Cycle (35 minutes). Both works were finalists for Choral Work of the Year at the 2022 Art Music Awards with the Requiem ultimately winning the award.
Pauls Requiem was first performed in Sydney in March 2021 with a repeat performance at the Hume Chamber Music Festival in Goulburn in 2022. A studio recording of the work completed that year will be released on the ABC Classic label in 2025.
Joes Timeless Land: An Australian Song Cycle was given its first performance in November 2021 in Sydney with repeat performances of the full work in Sydney in September 2024 and at the Adelaide Chamber Choir Festival in October that year. A studio recording undertaken that year will be released in 2025 or 2026.
The ABC commissioned Heather Percys Three Night Songs in partnership with Sydney Chamber Choir. Recorded in 2022, the works were released by the ABC in November 2022 and subsequently included on ABC Classics Women of Note Vol 5 released in 2023.The choir gave the live performance premiere of the work in June 2023.
In 2022, the choir also gave premieres of 2 new works it had commissioned: Ella Macens When the World Closes its Eyes in June 2022 which is available on YouTube and Brooke Shelleys Heavenly Father in November 2022. The choir gave a repeat performance of Brookes work in Sydney in March 2023 which will shortly be released on YouTube and Ellas work was performed again at the Adelaide Chamber Choir Festival in October 2024.
Heathers Three Night Songs and Brookes Heavenly Father were finalists for Choral Work of the Year at the 2023 Art Music Awards with Heather winning the award.
The choirs commissioning program continued in 2023 with the premiere of Elizabeth Younans Espoir in Sydney and a second performance at the Adelaide Chamber Choir Festival. In 2024, the choir commissioned and premiered a new work by Harry Sdraulig Evening Star in Goulburn and Sydney in September.
Since 2023, concerts including the commissioned works were broadcast on Australian Digital Concert Hall extending their reach.
The choir focuses on giving repeat performances of commissioned works to enhance their prospects of entering the choral repertoire. Concerts from 2020 to 2024 included repeat performances of earlier commissions, including works by Stephen Adams, Ross Edwards, Mary Finsterer, Iain Grandage, Clare Maclean and Dan Walker.
Nominee
Sydney Chamber Choir
Nominated Project/Activity
Commissioning, performing and recording of new Australia choral music
State/Territory
New South Wales
In 2021, the choir commissioned First Nations composer Brenda Gifford to write a musical acknowledgement of country, Minga Bagan. It was premiered at the Sydney Festival that year and given a repeat performance in 2022 which was filmed and released on YouTube.
2021 also saw the premiere performances of 2 major new Australian choral works commissioned by the choir: Paul Stanhopes Requiem (45 minutes) and Joe Twists Timeliness Land: An Australian Song Cycle (35 minutes). Both works were finalists for Choral Work of the Year at the 2022 Art Music Awards with the Requiem ultimately winning the award.
Pauls Requiem was first performed in Sydney in March 2021 with a repeat performance at the Hume Chamber Music Festival in Goulburn in 2022. A studio recording of the work completed that year will be released on the ABC Classic label in 2025.
Joes Timeless Land: An Australian Song Cycle was given its first performance in November 2021 in Sydney with repeat performances of the full work in Sydney in September 2024 and at the Adelaide Chamber Choir Festival in October that year. A studio recording undertaken that year will be released in 2025 or 2026.
The ABC commissioned Heather Percys Three Night Songs in partnership with Sydney Chamber Choir. Recorded in 2022, the works were released by the ABC in November 2022 and subsequently included on ABC Classics Women of Note Vol 5 released in 2023.The choir gave the live performance premiere of the work in June 2023.
In 2022, the choir also gave premieres of 2 new works it had commissioned: Ella Macens When the World Closes its Eyes in June 2022 which is available on YouTube and Brooke Shelleys Heavenly Father in November 2022. The choir gave a repeat performance of Brookes work in Sydney in March 2023 which will shortly be released on YouTube and Ellas work was performed again at the Adelaide Chamber Choir Festival in October 2024.
Heathers Three Night Songs and Brookes Heavenly Father were finalists for Choral Work of the Year at the 2023 Art Music Awards with Heather winning the award.
The choirs commissioning program continued in 2023 with the premiere of Elizabeth Younans Espoir in Sydney and a second performance at the Adelaide Chamber Choir Festival. In 2024, the choir commissioned and premiered a new work by Harry Sdraulig Evening Star in Goulburn and Sydney in September.
Since 2023, concerts including the commissioned works were broadcast on Australian Digital Concert Hall extending their reach.
The choir focuses on giving repeat performances of commissioned works to enhance their prospects of entering the choral repertoire. Concerts from 2020 to 2024 included repeat performances of earlier commissions, including works by Stephen Adams, Ross Edwards, Mary Finsterer, Iain Grandage, Clare Maclean and Dan Walker.