A golden doll of a Christmas Caroler with paper angel wings

Carols At the House

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
  • Concert Hall
  • Run time - 140 minutes, 20 minute interval
  • Seating map

Celebrate Christmas with uplifting music – a treat for the ears, heart and voice.

Here at Sydney Philharmonia Choirs we really love Christmas’ – the festivity, the magic, the message of peace and harmony. Above all, we love raising the roof of the Sydney Opera House with Carols at the House! 

Our family-friendly Carols at the House returns, bringing together hundreds of singers, stars of the musical stage and a splendid orchestra, all conducted by Brett Weymark. Hear all your favourite carols – Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, and more, in arrangements by Taylor Scott Davis, Bob Chilcott and David Willcocks – alongside some heart-warming seasonal favourites. Join in with the choirs for selected carols, or sit back and enjoy Bach’s rousing Magnificat. There’s the sonorous simplicity of Eric Whitacre’s Sing Gently and Franck’s Panis Angelicus, as well as Adam’s uplifting O Holy Night. Songs from Tim Minchin’s Matilda the Musical and Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods speak to our inner child. And the Aussie summer vibe comes alive with a new carol by Queensland composer Joseph Twist, Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Christmas Card and Katie Noonan’s All is Love, composed for the ABC Classic Choir.  

Join us for this much-loved seasonal tradition – because it simply isn’t Christmas without singing. 

Want to sing in the Christmas Choir? No auditions. Singers of any ability welcome.

Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Event details

Carols at The House returns to the Opera House… a program that is as varied as the fruit in Christmas puddings and the coloured baubles on Christmas trees.

Stage Whispers, 2023

Program

A festive program of Christmas favourites and unexpected delights.  

Favourite carols, including Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Jingle Bells and more 
together with 

Katie NOONAN All is Love 
Cesar FRANCK Panis Angelicus 
JS BACH Magnificat, BWV 243 
Adolphe ADAM O Holy Night 
Eric WHITACRE Sing Gently 
Michael PRAETORIUS arr. Sandström Es ist ein Ros entsprungen 
Deborah CHEETHAM FRAILLON The Christmas Card 
Joseph TWIST New work† 
Tim MINCHIN When I Grow Up, from Matilda 
Stephen SONDHEIM Children Will Listen, from Into the Woods 
Hugh MARTIN & Ralph BLANE Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 

† Sydney Philharmonia Choirs commission  

Artists

Brett Weymark conductor 
Georgina Hopson 
Alexander Lewis 

Symphony Chorus 
VOX 
Christmas Choir 
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra 

You may also like

Stephen Layton conducts Bach, Mozart & Handel

21 & 23 Aug 2025

Stephen Layton is one of the world's greatest choral conductors, an expert in vocal music from the Renaissance to the modern day. In this concert Stephen Layton conducts Baroque and Classical masterpieces by Bach, Handel, Mozart and Haydn, featuring guest soloist Sara Macliver.

  • Classical Music
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Layton conducts an Orchestra with arms outstretched

The Tallis Scholars

12 Oct 2025

Award-winning British vocal ensemble, The Tallis Scholars return to the Sydney Opera House for the first time in over two decades with an unmissable program inspired by the timeless beauty of Gregorian chant. Award-winning British vocal ensemble, The Tallis Scholars are renowned for their stunning cappella performances and exquisite recordings of sacred vocal music. The choir first sang at the Sydney Opera House in 1985, 40 years ago, and has returned five times since.

  • Classical Music

The Royal Organist

29 Jul 2025

The former organist and master of choristers at Westminster Abbey for over 20 years, James O’Donnell performs a recital of organ masterpieces on the Sydney Opera House’s magnificent Grand Organ.

  • Classical Music

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

Concert Hall

The Concert Hall is located beneath the largest of Sydney Opera House’s roof sails, filling the upper levels of the west side of the building. Best accessed through the covered concourse. All Sydney Opera House foyers are 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).

Checking availability