SongRites
3 – 6 September
Sydney —
The Sydney Opera House today announced SongRites, a new platform to celebrate the unique songlines of diverse First Nations communities from across Australia, taking over the Western Foyer venues from 3 – 6 September.
Through broad forms of contemporary storytelling, SongRites will continue the living history of Tubowgule as a place of cultural exchange and creativity. The program is anchored by artists committed to the retention of cultural practice and language, offering Sydney audiences a rare opportunity to connect with regional and remote First Nations cultures.
Sydney Opera House’s Head of First Nations Programming Michael Hutchings remarked on the incredible line-up of First Nations artists showcasing their enduring connections to country, saying: “SongRites is a celebration of the diverse and constantly evolving cultures that have thrived across the continent for millennia. The extraordinary artists we’ve assembled harness modern disciplines to share ancient traditions and languages in powerful ways using music, dance, screen and ceremony.”
The program includes:
Performances
- Song Spirals | 4 and 6 September | Sydney premiere
A live interpretation of the groundbreaking book by the Gay’wu Group of Women, documenting the role of Yolngu women in crying the songlines of North East Arnhem Land. Created and choreographed by Rosealee Pearson, the evocative performance translates the ancient rhythms and songs of the Milkarri (song spirals) through dance, music and projection, transporting audiences to the heart of Yolŋu country.
- Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing) | 5 and 6 September | Sydney premiere
Hailing from the remote Gulf of Carpentaria, this show is a passionate reclamation of the critically endangered Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Gudanji and Marra languages. A celebration of resilience through music, it’s created and performed by the Borroloola Songwomen with proud Yanyuwa and Wardaman woman Dr Shellie Morris AO, recently honoured by Creative Australia with the 2025 Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cultural Advocacy and Leadership.
Conversations
- Crying the Land to Life: A Journey into Yolngu Women’s Song Spirals | 5 September
Authors Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs and Djawandil Maymuru, and publisher Elizabeth Weiss, in conversation with Rosealee Pearson about Song Spirals. Through the lens of the award-winning book and the Gay’wu Group of Women - the collective of Yolngu and non-Aboriginal women who created it - this event will explore the passing down of women’s wisdom and songlines in North East Arnhem Land.
- Singing Up Country: Stories, Songlines & Sisterhood | 6 September
An extension of Arrkula Yinbayarra, this intimate panel presentation with the Borroloola women is a personal glimpse inside the journey of creating their new album on Country and a rare behind-the-scenes look at life in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria.
Films and Digital Storytelling
- SongRites Short Films | 3 September
An evening of short films by First Nations storytellers from regional communities – Katele (Mudskipper), The Djarn Djarns, Bala and Jarda Bura, Gurri Bura, Jarda Ngarli, Gurri Ngarli – grounded in their connection to Country and culture.
- Wrong Side of the Road | 4 September
A screening of the iconic documentary-style drama following the highs and lows of life on the road with groundbreaking Aboriginal bands No Fixed Address and Us Mob.
- Square Circles | 5 and 6 September
The return of William Barton’s collaboration with the Australian String Quartet, fusing digital storytelling, visual art and evocative music in a free installation.
The Sydney Opera House thanks Event Sponsor Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and Idealist donors R O Albert Family and Dr Russell & Jane Kift for their generous support of SongRites.
