A Child of Our Time
13 September 2025
In the Concert Hall
Classical Music
The rapturous power of Michael Tippett’s modern classic speaks to our own time. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs pairs this modern classic inspired by the Passions of Bach, oratorios of Handel and Afro-American spirituals, with two new works featuring youth choir VOX.
| Date | Time |
| Saturday 13 September 2025 | 2:00pm |
| Standard Adults aged 18+ | Price |
| Premium | $140 |
| A Reserve | $114 |
| B Reserve | $88 |
| C Reserve | $60 |
| D Reserve | $45 |
| Concession Full-time domestic & international Students Pensioner card holders (Aust. only) | Price |
| Premium | $126 |
| A Reserve | $103 |
| B Reserve | $79 |
| C Reserve | $55 |
| D Reserve | $40 |
| Children under 18 years Under 30 years | Price |
| C Reserve | $30 |
| D Reserve | $30 |
$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 authorised agencies for this event are Sydney Opera House and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
General Public tickets on-sale
9:00am, Wednesday 27 November 2024
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Language
It will be sung in Gadigal and English. A digital program with English texts will be available a week prior to performance and a limited number of printed programs will be available for sale for $10 at the event. There will be no surtitles at the concert.
Run time
This performance will run for approximately 100 minutes, with no interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for ages 8+
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.
InDailya performance of truly transfixing intensity
Useful information:
A modern classic
The time is 1939. The time could be now. Michael Tippett’s oratorio A Child of Our Time wasn’t simply inspired by gross social injustice, persecution and conflict, it was written in the midst of these things, and it continues to speak to us across the decades.
A succession of events triggered the creation of this modern classic – composed during World War II – but the most important was the protest-shooting of a German diplomat in Paris by a 17-year-old Jewish boy, Herschel Grynszpan, which became a pretext for the terrible events of Kristallnacht. From this emerged the concept of a passion-oratorio in the tradition of Bach and Handel, but with African-American spirituals taking the place of reflective chorales. The powerful result transforms the story of one individual into a timeless expression of human experience.
A Child of Our Time is close to Brett Weymark’s heart: he conducted it for the 2005 Tippett centenary and in an acclaimed production for the 2021 Adelaide Festival. In this concert, it’s paired with two exciting new works featuring Sydney Philharmonia’s youth choir VOX, conducted by Elizabeth Scott. Alice Chance is no stranger to VOX programming, and she’s writing a brand new work for these virtuoso young voices. Together with Anna Dowsley, they will also give the first Australian performance of a dramatic cantata by Joanna Marsh – a vibrant work that plays on the twin themes of plastic as pollution and plasticity as a virtue.
Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Program
Joanna MARSH A Plastic Theatre – Dramatic cantata for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra*
Alice CHANCE New work
Michael TIPPETT A Child of Our Time
* Australian premiere sponsored by Peter McCreanor
† Commissioned for VOX by the Silo Collective
Artists
Brett Weymark conductor
Elizabeth Scott conductor (Marsh, Chance)
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon soprano
Anna Dowsley mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Jones tenor
Teddy Tahu Rhodes baritone
Symphony Chorus
Festival Chorus
VOX (Marsh, Chance)
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra with guests from
The Sydney Youth Orchestra
Season 2025
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Voice. Energy. Joy.
In 2025 Sydney Philharmonia Choirs invite you to find your voice, energy and joy in the rich banquet of music they have to sing for you.
Plan your visit
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.
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