Concert 1 2026
Choral Colours
Bel a cappella joins forces with the Orange Regional Conservatorium Chamber Choir for a vibrant two-weekend collaboration in Annandale and Orange. Together, the choirs present a kaleidoscope of choral colour - bookended by Vierne’s commanding Kyrie from the Messe Solennelle and Parry’s jubilant I was glad. The program features luminous sacred works and celebrates the joy of making music across communities.
PROGRAM:
Combined Choirs
Louis Vierne - Kyrie from Messe Solennelle
Henry Purcell - Hear my Prayer
Anton Bruckner - Ave Maria
Orange Regional Conservatorium Chamber Choir conducted by Bill Moxey
William Barton - Kalkadunga Yurdu
Ola Gjeilo - Northern Lights
John Rutter - Five childhood lyrics
Gordon Hamilton - Dark Hour
Sting, arr. Carl Crossin - Fragile
Bel a cappella conducted by Monica Buckland + Bill Moxey
Jaako Mäntyjärvi - Pseudo-Yoik
Daniel Brinsmead - Come sleep
Sally Greenaway - If I could
Robert A. Harris - April Rain Song
C.V. Stanford - The Blue Bird
Joint pieces
Felix Mendelssohn - For he shall give his angels
J.G. Rheinberger - Abendlied
C. Hubert H. Parry - I was glad
Organ: David Drury, Conductor: Monica Buckland
This concert was also be performed in Orange on April 19, 2.30pm
Click image to download concert program
Concert 2 2026
Sun, Moon and Stars
A celebration of light, darkness and the shifting skies above us, Sun, Moon and Stars traces a radiant choral arc from dawn to dusk and back again. With works exploring love, loss, longing and the turning of the earth, this evocative program features music inspired by the solstice, the sun and the Australian landscape and brings together Australian and international voices in a shimmering homage to the heavens.
PROGRAM:
Paul Fincham - Awen
Dan Walker - Midwinter
Sarah MacDonald - Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Alice Chance - Aurora Eora
Iain Grandage - Three Australian Bush Songs, nos. 1 (Dawn) & 2 (Birds)
Melissa Dunphy - Totality
Charles Wood - As the Moon’s Soft Splendour
Antonín Dvořák, arr. John Chorbajian - Rusalka’s Song to the Moon
Robert Schumann - An die Sterne
Daniel Brinsmead - He wishes for the cloths of heaven
Edward Elgar - My love dwelt in a northern land
S. Coleridge-Taylor - All my stars forsake me
Nigel Butterley - Morning fanfare
Conductor: Monica Buckland
Concert 3 2026
Click image to download concert program
Beyond the Stars
Sacred soundscapes that look to the heavens — Beyond the Stars features Josef Rheinberger’s luminous Mass for Double Choir, paired with the transcendent anthems of William H. Harris and a rich selection of a cappella works exploring themes of eternity, remembrance and the soul’s journey beyond. With music by Britten, Parry, MacDonald, Grieg and more, this program offers a moving reflection on the celestial and the sacred, timed to coincide with All Souls Day.
TWO CONCERTS:
Wollongong » Saturday 31 October, 3.00pm
Wollongong Conservatorium of Music
Sydney» Sunday 1 November, 2.30pm
Hunter Baillie Church, Annandale
LINK to the full concert PROGRAM HERE »
PROGRAM:
William H. Harris - Bring us, O Lord
C.Hubert H. Parry - My soul, there is a country
Herbert Murrill - The souls of the righteous
C.V. Stanford - Justorum animae
Gordon Hamilton - Who are we?
Sarah MacDonald - He made the stars also
Rani Arbo - Crossing the bar
Benjamin Britten - Heaven-Haven
Edvard Grieg - I Himmelen
Michał Ziółkowski - Child, child
W.H. Harris - Faire is the heaven
J.G. Rheinberger - Cantus Missae
Conductor: Monica Buckland
2026 Come & Sing
Bel and friends
Experience the emotional power of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), one of the great masterpieces of the choral repertoire.
Conducted by Monica Buckland and featuring soprano Celeste Lazarenko, this performance brings together Bel a cappella’s chamber choir with a larger group of experienced singers for this special event.
Brahms’ Requiem is not a traditional Mass for the dead, but a profoundly human work offering comfort and hope to those who mourn. From its hushed opening Selig sind, die da Leid tragen (Blessed are they that mourn) to its radiant conclusion, Brahms creates music of extraordinary tenderness, drama and consolation.
Hear the work in Brahms’ own intimate version for choir, soloists and piano four hands, bringing remarkable clarity to the voices and allowing the rich colours and detail of his writing to shine through.