SongRites Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing)

  • First Nations
  • Contemporary Music
  • Drama Theatre
  • Run time - 65 minutes, no interval

Co-led by 2025 Red Ochre Award winner Dr Shellie Morris

Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing) is a powerful community-led project reviving critically endangered languages through music. Created by Marlene Timothy and co-led with renowned singer/songwriter and 2025 Red Ochre Award winner Dr Shellie Morris AO, they will perform their debut album Waralungku live. Featuring nine singers with a live band, the performance will showcase these original songs in Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Gudanji and Marra languages. Experience an inspirational musical concert that preserves the traditions of these song women as they honour their heritage, family and Borroloola culture. 

Take a journey through song with Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing), a musical project born from the vision of Marlene Timothy and brought to life with the powerful voice and leadership of Dr Shellie Morris AO. Rooted in community and cultural pride, these deeply moving tracks are sung in the endangered Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Gudanji and Marra languages, tied deeply to the Gulf of Carpentaria and its people.Each song is a tribute to the strength of women and the enduring spirit of the region. 

Crafted in close collaboration with language custodians and the Borroloola Songwomen, this album is more than music - it’s a living archive of culture, language and identity. From Woodford Folk Festival to Port Fairy Folk Festival to Darwin Festival, Arrkula Yinbayarra has captivated festival audiences with its emotional depth and cross-generational storytelling.

For Dr Shellie Morris AO, esteemed singer-songwriter and proud Yanyuwa woman, this project is deeply personal. Since 2008, she has worked alongside women of the Borroloola area, forging connections across language groups to form a powerful cultural song collective. Through this work, she reconnects with her own heritage while amplifying the voices of the community.

Arrkula Yinbayarra is a celebration of resilience, creativity and cultural ownership. Through rich harmonies and timeless melodies, it ensures that the region’s languages and stories of Country not only survive, but thrive. 

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.

A very special thank you to Yuwaalaraay Wirringgaa artist Lucy Simpson for the creation of our DanceRites artwork.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

Arrkula Yinyabarra are truly inspirations for Indigenous and Australian musicians, finding magical ways to encase their heritage.

Eastside Radio

Event sponsor

  • Harbour Trust

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Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Drama Theatre

The Drama Theatre is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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