The Sydney Children’s Choir enjoys a reputation for artistic innovation and spell-binding performances.
Founded as a single ensemble by Lyn Williams AM in 1989, it now includes approximately 400 young people
from across Sydney, comprising performing choirs and training ensembles.
The Sydney Children’s Choir continues to forge new artistic paths and directions through its commitment to
new music. Close to the choir’s heart is its repertoire of over 100 specially commissioned works, and it
continues to premiere new music from leading and emerging composers. In June 2022, the choir gave the
premiere performance of the daring staged work Hypnopompia, directed by Alexander Berlage with music
ranging from Elliott Gyger to Sufjan Stevens and Billie Eilish.
The choir has a long history of performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In July 2022, the choir
performed William Barton’s Of the Earth with the orchestra and Chief Conductor Simone Young to celebrate
the re-opening of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. In June 2023, the choir joined with Marliya to
perform Spinifex Gum with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conductor Aaron Wyatt.
Over the decades it has performed at many high-profile events including the Sydney Olympics Opening
Ceremony, World Youth Day, Sydney Festival and with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.
The choir has toured extensively, presenting their signature performances of contemporary Australian music
to new audiences across the world. In 2019, the Sydney Children’s Choir hosted the Gondwana World Choral
Festival, which brought the world’s finest children’s choirs to Sydney for a week of 21 performances at the
Sydney Opera House and Sydney Conservatorium of Music, broadcast on ABC Classic.
In early October 2023, Sydney Children’s Choir gave the premiere performance of Gumura a new work written
especially for the choirs by long-standing collaborator and friend Matthew Doyle. The performance also
included the premiere of five new works by emerging composers, all of whom are alumni of the choir.
The Sydney Children’s Choir is one of the world’s leading choirs for young people, offering a standard of
training unsurpassed in Australia. The choir goes beyond the school curriculum, allowing young musicians to
extend their knowledge and providing them with world-class performance opportunities. Rehearsals are held
at Parramatta and Sydney City, with places available for all school age students.
For more information and to join, visit sydneychildrenschoir.com.au or call (02) 8274 7001
