“Bel a Cappella’s commitment to choral music and performance is palpable in their beautiful soloists and strong harmonising throughout difficult and sometimes unusual pieces. With their impressive enthusiasm and considered taste, this is a choir worth spending your afternoon with.”
Bel a cappella is a chamber choir of 25-30 experienced singers who are dedicated to the performance of diverse, high quality choral music in fine venues around Sydney.
Established in 1995, Bel a cappella continues to attract able singers who are keen to explore the more demanding repertoire to the highest possible standard.
The choir has an extensive repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to twentieth-century music. Our concerts are designed to appeal to those who are new to the world of choral music as well as those who already enjoy the choral repertoire and seek to further explore it and hear it at its best.
Bel a cappella normally presents three concerts each year, providing a mix of well-loved choral works with lesser known pieces of merit and appeal. Although we specialise in a cappella repertoire, we regularly perform with piano, organ or small ensembles to offer a variety of musical experiences for our growing audiences.
Our recent concerts have included:
Chris Sainsbury: Upon a High Rock Platform, a commissioned Acknowledgement of Country Song; music of the English Renaissance to mark the 400th anniversary of William Byrd’s death; William Mathias: A May Magnificat; Hans Huber: Aus Goethes West-östlichem Divan; Anton Bruckner: Mass in e minor; Frank Martin: Mass for double choir; world premieres by Sarah MacDonald and Katharine Parton; music by Australian composers Sally Greenaway, Anne Cawrse, Luke Byrne and Ross Edwards, and more...
Bel a cappella also participates in significant choral events, including the 2008 Sydney A Cappella Festival and the 2023 Blackheath Choir Festival. Bel a cappella achieved first places in both the Chamber Choir and Sacred Choral Awards in Sydney Eisteddfods and were selected to perform at Choralfest, the biennial national conference of the Australian National Choral Association, in 2010.
In 2015 the choir headed out on our first overseas tour to Italy, Slovenia and Vienna, singing at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. In 2018 we returned to Europe on tour and sang in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Prague, Hodonín, Bratislava, Budapest and Krakow. Bel a cappella is very excited to be travelling to Switzerland during May 2025 to continue our cultural explorations of Europe and share Australian music around the globe.
“Einojuhani Rautavaara’s virtuosic Missa a Cappella… this demanding work was managed by the skilful vocal ensemble with breathtaking clarity and newness of nuance.”