
SongRites Song Spirals
Let the Milkarri dance around you in this Sydney Premiere
Event details
Date | Time |
---|---|
Thursday 4 September 2025 | 7:00pm |
Saturday 6 September 2025 | 1:30pm |
Ticket | Price |
---|---|
Standard | $45.90 |
Groups 4+ | $39.90 |
Concession Australian Pensioner Australian Full Time Student | $34.90 |
Child Under 12 Only available via phone or box office (allocation is limited) | FREE |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 25 June 2025
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What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
12pm, Wednesday 25 June 2025
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Friday 27 June 2025
For those requiring assistance, wheelchair or companion seating, accessible seating locations are available. Bookings can be made by calling the Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 or by email.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Rosealee PearsonI hope this work inspires you all to explore and learn more of the connection that we Yolŋu have to this land, the water, the air, and each other.
Meet the artists
Rosealee Pearson is a Manggalili women and interdisciplinary artist from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. A graduate of NAISDA Dance College she has worked across many disciplines as a dancer, director, actor, tour manager, event co-ordinator, stage manager, choreographer and cultural consultant, producer, festival coordinator. Rosealee has worked with Insite Arts, Belvoir St. Theatre, Urban Theatre Projects, Shaktidharan Sivanathan, Curious Works, Performance Space, Bells Shakespeare Company, Boomerang Festival, Sydney Festival, East Arnhem Live, Aris & Grimes. In 2021 Rosealee created Wanha! Journey to Arnhem: a live audio visual work featuring an intergenerational collective of musical talent from Arnhem Land. The show premiered at Darwin Festival in 2021 and was presented at the Sydney Opera House in 2022.

Andrew Grimes is a Musician, Producer, Composer and Recording Engineer based in Yirrkala, NT. He is a founding member of the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band. He worked as the senior producer for ARDS/Yolŋu Radio from 2015 to 2019, and since founded the company Aris & Grimes, providing music and film production services in East Arnhem Land. Highlights include the 2018 NIMA for best traditional album for ‘Buku- wathunawuy Niniŋgu Rom: Ancient Languages New Sounds’ which he recorded and co-produced alongside longtime collaborator Andrew Gurruwiwi. He also produced and recording the 2020 hit online concert series ‘East Arnhem Live’. Andrew co-directed the audio-visual show ‘Wanha! Journey to Arnhem’ alongside Rosealee Pearson, which debuted at Darwin Festival in 2021 and went to Sydney Opera House in 2022. Andrew has produced a number of records with East Arnhem Land artists, some highlights include co-producing the 2019 Bärra West Wind album ‘Djoŋgirriny’ alongside Stu Kellaway from Yothu Yindi, and in 2021 was associate producer on Yirrmal’s debut album alongside Andrew Farris from INXS. Andrew is currently finalising the debut album from the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, which he is co-producing with Julian Bel Bachir.

Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr Stubbs is a proud Yolŋu woman and leader from North East Arnhem Land. She has written 7 books. Her children’s books are written in Yolŋu Matha for use in primary schools as Walking Talking texts. She plays an important role in the bilingual education movement in Arnhem Land working with Yolŋu Elders to develop both-ways learning. Her latest book Song Spirals was the joint winner for the Prime Ministers Literacy Award 2020. She is also a singer, actor, and artist most recently as narrator for Wanha! Journey to Arnhem as a part of Darwin Festival 2021. She is one of the authors of Songlines, the book that inspired this work.

Djawundil is from the Gumatj clan. Djawundil Maymuru is a co-author of books Songspirals, Welcome to My Country and Weaving Lives Together. Djawundil currently works with Bawaka Cultural Experiences, a highly successful Yolŋu owned and-run Indigenous tourism business. As a key member of the business, she works with visitors to Bawaka to share life at Bawaka with them, helping them understand and respect Yolŋu culture and land. She is a college graduate and has been on the board of Laynhapuy Homeland Association. Djawundil has also been invited to share Yolŋu knowledge at conferences and seminars in New Zealand, Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle. Djawundil is a member of an Indigenous academic collaboration with academics from Macquarie University and the University of Newcastle and is an Honorary Associate of the Department of Environment and Geography at Macquarie University.

Henrietta Baird is a Kuku Yalanji woman from Far North Queensland and a 2005 graduate of NAISDA Dance College. She has performed in major productions across Australia, including Stolen, My Right Foot Your Right Foot, Pop Whistle Crack, The Stirring, Dancing Smoke, and Divercity, which toured nationally and internationally.
In 2017, Henrietta was selected for the Yellamundie Festival, where she wrote her first play The Weekend, which premiered at Sydney Festival in 2019. She also presented work internationally at the Weesageechak Festival in Toronto and performed in the U.S. with Miriki Dance Company and the Pomo First Nations, exploring cultural connections through performance.
Her recent work includes Plant a Promise, presented at Carriageworks, and Song Spirals with Rosealee Pearson, which took her to London for further development. Henrietta also performed in Hack the Anthropocene at Sydney Festival and contributed to a First Nations performance at the Singapore Art Gallery.
Beyond the stage, Henrietta is part of the Indigenous Education team at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, where she leads tours and develops programs focused on native bush plants and Aboriginal history.

Maddison Fraser is a proud Palyku and Yindjibarndi woman from the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She was raised on Whadjuk Country in Perth and is now living on Darkinjung Country on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Maddison is currently studying at NAISDA Dance College, undertaking the Advanced Diploma of Professional Dance Performance. She has completed industry placements at Critical Path, working with Jasmin Sheppard, Jasmine Gulash, and Vicki Van Hout to explore Indigenous dramaturgy through a series of workshops. Her performance credits include the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Vivid Sydney, and Hysteria, where she worked with acclaimed choreographers such as Angie Diaz, Deon Hastie, and Sue Healy. Maddison is passionate about sharing her culture and stories through dance.

Brianna Kemmerling is a proud Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and German descendant. Her family line stretches from Wik-Waya through Kaanju, Ankamuthi, Yupungathi, Taepadhighi, and Darnley (Erub) Island. Mid 2022 Brianna was a part of the first class to graduate Advance Diploma from NAISDA Dance College after 4 1/2 years of training. She debuted her professional journey as an independent artist with NT Dance Company “Forbidden” (2021), followed by “Waŋa” (2022). Late 2022 Brianna also began her journey with Culture College as she continues to educate and inspire the youth of her generation. In 2023 Brianna was the annual recipient for the Lucy Guerin Inc’s First Nations Graduate Internship, where she was able to experience and build connections with Lucy Guerin Inc and Joel Bray Dance. Most recently Brianna traveled to Hawai’i with the Australian Delegation to participate in the Pacific Arts Festival 2024 to exchange cultural dance, music, fashion, ect and celebrate over 20 other pacific arts delegations coming together as one. In between Brianna has engaged in many other projects, programs and developments within Australia as she looks forward to future creations.

Harlisha Newie-Joe is a proud Zenadth Kes woman from Mabuyag and Badu Islands, belonging to the Goemu and Wagadagam tribes. Raised in Weipa on Alngith Country, she now lives on Darkinjung Country on the NSW Central Coast.
Currently in her fourth year at NAISDA Dance College, Harlisha is completing her Advanced Diploma of Professional Dance Performance. She has trained under artists including Angie Diaz, Jasmin Sheppard, and Lee Serle.
In 2023, she performed with Jannawi Dance Clan at DanceRites, was selected for the Sharp Short Dance film program, and completed a secondment with Bangarra Dance Theatre. In 2024, she received the Perth Moves Bursary and trained with leading choreographers such as Nick Coutsier, Ta’alili (Aotearoa), and Daniel Riley (ADT).
Most recently, Harlisha represented First Nations Australia at the Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC) in Hawai’i, performing with Arpaka Dance Company, led by Dujon Nuie.

Credits
Naina Sen
Video Design
Sean Pardy
Lighting Design
Annie Winter
Production Manager
Eve Lynch
Stage Manager
Letitia Firth
Technical Designer & QLAB
Event sponsor
3 – 6 September 2025
SongRites
SongRites is a new program showcasing First Nations voices through music, dance, film and conversation. Experience the living tradition of Songlines passed through generations, grounded in Country and culture.

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Attending this event
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
Location and access
Studio
The Studio is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.