The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace

ChorusOz – Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ annual “big sing” – brings together singers from across Australia and around the world for an inspiring weekend of community and music-making in the Sydney Opera House.

For 2024, Brett Weymark has chosen one of the most popular choral works of our time, with thousands of performances and decades in the classical charts: The Armed Man. Its starting point is a mediæval earworm (L’Homme armé) but the themes are absolutely contemporary.

Inspired by the tragedy of the Kosovo War, Karl Jenkins combines sacred and secular texts. It’s exhilarating music to perform, with a parade of musical styles, thought-provoking texts and powerful emotions. Equally exhilarating are the choral hymns Finlandia and Jerusalem. And – for the first time in the 16-year history of ChorusOz – SPC has commissioned a new Australian work by Katie Noonan and Andrew O’Connor of AVÉ especially for this event.

Whether you’re in the choir singing at full voice, or joining us in the audience, find harmony singing for peace.

Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs