Now in its 3rd edition, Sydney Chamber Choir’s much-loved concert series fusing classical, jazz and popular song returns – this time welcoming Spring & celebrating the beauty of the changing seasons.
Presented in the intimate surrounds of The Neilson at Walsh Bay on Pier 2/3 by the harbour, this program invites audiences to experience the year’s cycle through music of warmth, reflection & joy.
Led by Sam Allchurch as well as Naomi Crellin and Nick Begbie (from the award-winning a cappella ensemble The Idea of North), the Choir joins forces with a superb jazz trio to explore the shifting moods of nature and time.
Benjamin Britten’s radiant The Succession of the Four Sweet Months and Joe Twist’s On the Night Train capture the poetry of the natural world in timeless choral writing. These are paired with imaginative arrangements of beloved favourites, including the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, the Beach Boys’ Their Hearts Were Full of Spring, Gershwin’s Summertime from Porgy and Bess, and the jazz classic Autumn Leaves, made famous by Nat King Cole.
Blending elegance, swing and lyrical beauty, Time & Tide offers a captivating evening where genres meet, voices shimmer, and the turning of the year is celebrated in music of light, colour and grace.
Artistic director and conductor Sam Allchurch said the choir had hugely enjoyed bringing audience a new way of experiencing the Sydney Chamber Choir in jazz-infused programs brought together by the ‘incomparable’ Naomi Crellin.
“Time and Tide is our latest instalment, exploring the different seasons of our lives in the intimate atmosphere of the Nielson on Pier 2/3. Naomi has arranged some of the best jazz classics with witty and beautiful twists which sit alongside some moments of a cappella stillness.”
Naomi Crellin added: “This program is close to my heart as it marries my first love of classical choral harmony with my evolution into the lush expression of jazz harmony. The repertoire demands a deeper connection to lyric and intent, and gives the choir the freedom to express itself on a different level. Having the opportunity to direct this fine ensemble and be trusted to guide them outside their comfort zone is a great privilege.”
Artists
Sydney Chamber Choir | Sam Allchurch, Conductor | Naomi Crellin Co-Director | Nick Begbie Co-Director | Kevin Hunt Jazz Trio
Program includes
Benjamin Britten: The Succession of the Four Sweet Months
Dan Forrest: Good Night, Dear Heart
George Gershwin: Summertime
Dave Grusin/Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman (arr. Crellin): When Summer Turns to Snow
George Harrison (arr. Crellin): Here Comes the Sun
Joseph Kosma/Johnny Mercer (arr. Connolly and Crellin): Autumn Leaves
Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein: It Might as Well Be Spring
Sigmund Romberg/Oscar Hammerstein (arr. Crellin): Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
Bobby Troup: Their Hearts Were Full of Spring
Joe Twist: On the Night Train
Tommy Wolf/Fran Landesman (arr. Crellin): Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
Sydney Chamber Choir: Sessions on the Pier – Time & Tide
Sat 19 Sept 5pm & 8pm at The Neilson, ACO on the Pier, Pier 2/3 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay
Tickets: $30-$110 | Bookings: www.sydneychamberchoir.org.au
