Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

Hundreds of talented young singers, composers and conductors from across the country will converge on Sydney for the 20th annual Gondwana National Choral School (NCS) from 9-21 January 2017. Hosted by Gondwana Choirs, the leader in Australian choral performance, the National Choral School 2017 brings together 329 talented young people aged 10 to 26 years for an intensive two-week training and performance season, guided by leading national and international conductors at the University of New South Wales. This year, resident artists The Idea of North, the internationally-acclaimed Australian vocal quartet, will present their own public concert and work intensively with each ensemble.

The event culminates with the inaugural Festival of Summer Voices from 18-21 January 2017, featuring a series of five uplifting public concerts showcasing extraordinary talents at the University of New South Wales and Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Each event exhibits the extraordinary talents of the young choristers, conductors and composers and includes:

• Concert 1: Summer Voices Opening Gala on Wednesday, 18 January at 7pm at Sir John Clancy Auditorium, UNSW. Experience the power of Gondwana Choirs in full flight, at the gala event showcasing the extraordinary talents of the young choristers, conductors and composers. 

• Concert 2: The Idea of North in Concert on Friday, 20 January at 7pm at Sir John Clancy Auditorium, UNSW. Enjoy a beautifully distinct sound and style, crossing many musical genres in an exciting and surprising way. 

• Concert 3 & 5: A Cappella Academy | Saturday, 21 January at 3pm & 6.30pm at Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Gondwana Choirs like you've never heard them before! A celebration of 100 years of contemporary a cappella music the choristers learned with resident artists The Idea of North.

• Concert 4: Gondwana Chorale in Recital on Saturday, 21 January at 5.15pm at Music Workshop, Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Hear the Gondwana Chorale national youth choir at the peak of their vocal prowess before they leave for an extensive tour of the USA, immediately after NCS 2017.

As part of a new partnership with the University of New South Wales, the NCS 2017 will be held at the Kensington campus for the first time, with participants housed in the recently rebuilt Kensington Colleges and two public concerts taking place in Sir John Clancy Auditorium. 

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website

Featured artists

• Performer Gondwana Chorale
• Performer Gondwana Choirs
• Performer The Idea of North