About the Artists

PHOTO: MARC ROYCE

Eric Whitacre conductor

Eric Whitacre makes a welcome return to Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, having conducted Symphony Chorus and VOX in the Sydney Opera House in 2013.

He studied choral conducting with David Weiller, an early and important inspiration in his career. His debut album as a conductor, Light and Gold, earned him a Grammy, and as a guest conductor, he has drawn capacity audiences to concerts with many of the world’s leading orchestras and choirs, appearing in venues from Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Royal Albert Hall and Buckingham Palace. He has worked with Hollywood composers Hans Zimmer, John Powell and Jeff Beal, as well as British pop icons Laura Mvula, Imogen Heap and Annie Lennox.

He is currently Visiting Composer at Pembroke College, Cambridge University, and recently completed his second term as Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Eric Whitacre created his first Virtual Choirs project as an experiment in social media and digital technology. Virtual Choir 1: Lux Aurumque was published in 2010 and featured 185 singers from 12 countries. Ten years on, in 2020, Virtual Choir 6: Sing Gently featured 17,562 singers from 129 countries. To date, the Virtual Choirs have registered more than 60 million views. Elizabeth Scott conductor

Elizabeth Scott has led Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ young adult choir VOX to great success since 2008. Previously Sydney Philharmonia’s Assistant Chorus Master (2006–2008) and Acting Music Director (2013), she is also currently the Music Performance Projects Officer (Secondary Choral Music/Instrumental Music) for the Arts Unit within the NSW Department of Education, and since 2009 has been the Choral Conductor for the Department’s Schools Spectacular. She was recently appointed Lecturer in Choral Conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

After graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, she completed postgraduate studies in choral conducting, vocal performance and aural training in Hungary and Germany, and holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting. She was a participant in Symphony Australia’s Conductor Development Program and received the 2008 Sydney Choral Symposium Foundation Choral Conducting Scholarship.

Elizabeth Scott is a regular chorus master for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and also works with Cantillation and Gondwana Choirs.

Recent SPC performance highlights include Mozart: Requiem and Revelations, Bach’s Mass in B minor; Berliner Messe, St John Passion Reimagined and Considering Matthew Shepard.

Julian Smiles cello

Julian Smiles enjoys a diverse musical career, combining solo, chamber and orchestral performance, and reaching national and international audiences. Active as a soloist, he has performed concertos with orchestras and appeared as a recitalist and guest chamber musician throughout Australia.

As cellist of the Goldner String Quartet and the Australia Ensemble at UNSW, he has performed to critical acclaim at major venues and festivals throughout the world, made over 30 recordings on leading labels, and premiered many works by Australian and international composers. He is in demand as a teacher and chamber music mentor, and is Senior Lecturer in Cello at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Claire Howard Race piano

Claire Howard Race has performed to acclaim in song recitals with artists such as Deborah Humble, Mariana (Hye Seoung) Kwon and Ghillian Sullivan. From 2017 to 2021 she held the position of Assistant Chorus Master and Principal Rehearsal Pianist for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and last year performed in the two pianos and percussion version of Carmina Burana. In 2021 she also performed in the Grafton Chamber Music Festival with the Sirius Chamber Ensemble, and in the premiere performances of the opera, Chop Chef, by Australian composer Paul Smith, with the Blush Opera Company. Other recent performances include Ola Gjeilo’s Luminous Night of the Soul with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for the Sydney Festival, and the fourhand piano arrangement of Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem at Christ Church Cathedral for the Newcastle Music Festival.

CHRISTMAS CHOIR 2022

SING WITH US THIS CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is a time for singing and celebration, and we do it in style at Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. This year we’ll perform Handel’s Messiah in the newly refurbished Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House. As a member of our Christmas Choir, you’ll be joined on stage by our auditioned choirs, guest soloists and a professional orchestra, led by conductor Brett Weymark oam. Make this Christmas unforgettable with your live performances in the Sydney Opera House!

Last day to order your Messiah score (if needed) Monday 19 September Scan the QR code for more information and to register

Last day to register Monday 31 October Concert information: sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/messiah