Transcendence
7 July 2023 | 6:00PM | St David's Cathedral
An evening of world class choral music
World class vocal ensemble from Leipzig, Sjaella share the stage with The Australian Voices to present a program of soaring performances spanning centuries and continents. Celestial sounds to lift the soul and transport audiences to another time and place.
Choral music of Franz Biebl, Arvo Pärt, Ola Gjeilo and contemporary Australian composers Graeme Morton, Gordon Hamilton, John Rotar and William Barton all feature in this hauntingly powerful, broad ranging program. Audience will be immersed in the beautiful spaces of the spectacular St David’s Cathedral at this must-see (and hear!) event.
Repertoire will include works that reflect the musical elements illustrating the striking differences between northern and southern hemispheres. Celebrate the uniqueness of tone quality and range of vocal effects that gives much Australian repertoire its distinctive sound, in a striking contrast to the atmosphere created by ethereal improvisations inspired by the music of Hildegard von Bingen.
‘These women have something special together that comes out in every tone […], in every look that they exchange. […] An ensemble that has really found itself.” – Leipziger Volkszeitung on Sjaella
“As if the gates of heaven had opened” – New York Times on The Australian Voices

Receive up to a 15% discount if you select three or more concerts in the one transaction. Keep an eye on our social media channels for suggested itineraries. There is a diverse range of concerts for you to choose from to fill your calendar across the 10 days of the Festival.
3 concerts ~ 10% off
6 or more concerts ~ 15% off
Discounts are only applicable on performance tickets, and only apply to full price tickets. Tickets must be purchased in the same transaction. If you select a Concession ticket for a performance as part of a discount package, the lowest price will apply for that ticket. Workshops and seminars are not included in our Performance Packages.
Tickets
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Premium – $59
A Reserve – $49
B Reserve – $39
C Reserve – $29
Concession Tickets
Full time secondary and tertiary students, Pension concession card holders, Senior card holders, Companion card holders, Veteran Affairs, TPI and health care card holders, children under 12
Premium Concession – $52
A Reserve Concession – $42
B Reserve Concession – $32
C Reserve Concession – $22
*A Booking Fee of $3.00 applies, plus a 2.2% Basket Fee which will be calculated at check-out.
DURATION
2hrs
Supported by


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Their shared roots reach back to an age when emotions can flow unhindered. They have strong connections and limitless enjoyment. Sjaella is the soul of the women who appear together on stage and have not lost a child-like experience of the world. Community feeds on play and individual strength. There is movement, language, noise and sound, with bodies, focus, and shared breath. It is all of this that Sjaella experiences and seeks to share.
The voyage of discovery began for these artists in 2005, and it has now taken them around the world. Sjaella has been a fixture on the universal vocal music scene for years, performing concerts at renowned festivals, and winning first prize at many competitions. The ensemble has recently been on concert tours to South Africa, Belgium, Spain, and Norway.
Every journey, every encounter with international artists opens new doors for Sjaella, behind which musical spaces and worlds of ideas are revealed. These six young women see it as their task to rethink what seems well-known, to find new sounds, and to bring everything into an artistic context. The album Origins, released on Outhere Music in 2021, is like life itself: a cycle consisting of many smaller ones, connected in a way that can only be seen when appreciated as a whole.
Image credit: Lutz Weichmann

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From its inception in 1993, The Australian Voices (TAV) has relentlessly pursued its mission to commission, perform and promote Australian music, both locally and internationally.
The vision of Graeme Morton and Stephen Leek when founding the group was to tap into something unique about Australia, its land and its people.
Through the music of a new generation of Australian composers, including the original musical language of Stephen Leek, TAV created a sound unlike anything the world had heard before. In 2009 Gordon Hamilton took the reins, and with works like "Toy Story 3 = Awesome!" and Robert Davidson's acclaimed "Not Now, Not Ever!" a musicalisation of Julia Gillard’s ‘misogyny’ speech, brought the group firmly into the 21st century and again at the forefront of Australian, and international choral music.
Recently, the choir has collaborated with numerous Australian musicians and ensembles: in 2019, the choir performed Britten’s Cantata Misericordium and a ‘re-composition’ of Mozart’s Requiem by then-Artistic Director Gordon Hamilton in collaboration with Omega Ensemble; in 2022, collaborated with ARIA-nominated artist Raphael Karlen and Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra to premiere Sinking Cities, a work for string orchestra, choir, and saxophone; and at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the choir commissioned 22 (mostly) Australian composers to write a choral work on the theme “Far and Near”, in response to the darkening of concert halls around the world.
Now under the directorship of John Rotar, one of Australia’s leading young composers, the group is poised to take the next step in its evolution and continue to be at the vanguard of Australian choral music.
Image credit: Kris Anderson
VENUE: ST DAVID’S CATHEDRAL
Getting to the venue:
- St David’s Cathedral is at 120 Macquarie Street, Hobart TAS 7000.
- 2 accessible parking bays have been allocated in the carpark behind the venue, accessible from 5pm at 34 Murray Street. See the entryway to these parking bays here.
- Entry into this event will occur at the St David’s Cathedral side entrance, accessible from Macquarie Street, instead of the ‘Main’ entrance on Murray Street.
Accessibility
Wheelchair Accessible
- For wheelchair bookings please contact the festival with specifications and dimensions of the wheelchair and any additional user requirements.
- Access into the venue for wheelchair users is best through the Murray Street entrance. An Accessibility Marshall will be placed at the side entrance to St David’s Cathedral to meet you and escort you to the accessible entrance.
Guide Dog Symbol / Registered Assistance Animals welcome
Conditions of Sale
- Read the full conditions of sale.
- Festival of Voices adheres to the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice.
- All tickets are non-refundable, unless otherwise specified on the specific event page.
- Read the full terms and conditions of sale and entry.
FAQs
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Contact Us
For assistance please contact us on 03 6224 5975 or at info@festivalofvoices.com.
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