Trace a musical journey through faith, light and love
Publicity Media release posted Sunday 23 may,2026
IN PARADISUM – Sydney Chamber Choir, Saturday 30 May 5pm at St James Sydney Chamber Choir invites you to a concert of rare beauty and intensity as it presents
In Paradisum – a tapestry of choral music that offers reflection, consolation and light.
Performed in the warm acoustic of St James’ King St in Sydney (and the weekend before at Goulburn’s Conservatorium of Music), this program is designed to let the sounds of Estonian, Nordic and Australian composers unfold with beautiful resonance.
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.
Sydney Chamber Choir Publicity Images
Photo by Robert Catto, on Tuesday 12 November, 2024. @robertcatto on Instagram, Threads & Twitter, @robertcattophotographer on Facebook.
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.
Julian Smiles
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.”
“In Paradisum is a celebration of choral sound at its most radiant, where northern serenity meets southern warmth in music of depth and grace. It promises to be one of those nights that lingers long after the final note has faded: restorative, luminous and magical.”
The Sydney Chamber Choir presents In Paradisum
Saturday, 30 May 5pm at St James’ Church – 173 King St, Sydney
Tickets $30-$85
Visit: www.sydneychamberchoir.org
Sydney Chamber Choir also takes this program to Goulburn’s Hume Conservatorium of Music on 23 May 3pm
