This year, the Festival of Voices celebrates its 20th anniversary with what it calls its “biggest program yet”: as its centrepiece, Verdi’s Requiem will see its first Tasmanian performance in 40 years under the baton of UK  conductor David Lawrence. Other festival highlights include ensembles The Australian Voices, Germany’s Sjaella, The Hong Kong Children’s Choir and New Zealand’s Luminata Voices, and the free, family-friendly festival mainstay, The Big Sing.

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The Governor of Tasmania once again opens up the stunning Government House Ballroom to host the annual Choral Soirée.  German vocal ensemble Sjaella will feature in this special event in truly beautiful surroundings with world class acoustics.

In this curated program titled “Among the Branches”, Sjaella explores the many facets of natural phenomena and mythological stories by uniting early and contemporary music with folk tunes from northern Europe. The contrasting tonal language invites the listener to interpret sounds of nature such as the bird’s twittering or the singing of the ice – in connection with their place of belonging.

This program will include compositions by Henry Purcell, Clément Janequin, Caroline Shaw, Alice Chance, Laura Jēkabsone, among others.

Light refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the concert, provided courtesy of the Office of the Governor.