From 15 to 17 September, St Patrick’s Cathedral is hosting a special weekend music festival that will feature a range of genres, from medieval plainchant to extravagant choral pieces, First Nations songs, folk music and organ classics. Director of Music Dr Philip Matthias sees the weekend as an opportunity for people to come together and to celebrate the role that music plays in creating a space for meaningful dialogue and goodwill in the community.
‘We want the festival to have breadth ... There’s something for everyone.’
Programme
Friday 15 September, 7.30pm | Vespers
The St Patrick’s Cathedral Singers, directed by Christopher Mason, lead a Vespers Service. Includes plainchant and polyphonic settings by the great Renaissance masters.
Saturday 16 September (day) | The Singing Presider and Cantor Workshops
- Clergy Workshop, 11am–12.30pm | Presented by Fr Michael Buck
- Cantor Workshop, 2pm–3.30pm | Presented by Larissa Cairns
These practical workshops for parish priests and cantors explore opportunities for enriching liturgical worship and encouraging participation through singing and gesture. Sessions include discussion around the roles of the singing presider and cantor, practical demonstrations and useful resources (beginner to experienced).
$15 per session | Bookings essential
Saturday 16 September, 8pm–9.15pm | This Land concert
A program that seeks to find ‘the threads that bind us together’, through music, culture, spirituality and community. Brian Morley and friends present traditional and new First Nations songs with deep connections to place, Country and people. International Sri Lankan artists Saman Lenin and Nilakshi Helapitiya add to this event via multi-faith connections through music, linking This Land across boundaries and peoples. Joined by Troy Kuhl (didgeridoo), Sherry Balcombe (narrator) and the St Patrick’s Cathedral Schola and Gregorian Schola.
Tickets $30, Concession $25 | Book online or pay at door
Sunday 17 September, 11am | Festival Mass
The St Patrick’s Cathedral Choir sings the evocative and commanding Messe Solennelle by French composer Charles-Marie Widor. Written for two choirs and two organs for Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, the rich tapestry of sound will certainly fill the grand space of St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Sunday 17 September, 3pm–4.15pm | Music for Brass and Organ
An afternoon of brass and organ music, featuring the St Patrick’s Cathedral Brass and cathedral organist Dion Henman. Featuring Bach’s Three Chorales, Handel’s ‘Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’, Joplin’s ‘The Easy Winners’, Morricone’s ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ from The Mission and Rutter’s ‘A Gaelic Blessing’.
Tickets $30, Concession $25 | Book online or pay at door