Candlelit sacred music spectacular to transform Bondi church this winter
Four of Sydney’s leading sacred music ensembles unite for an immersive performance culminating in Vivaldi’s Gloria
Bondi Catholic Parish, along with the Artes Christi Chamber Orchestra, hosts GLORIA, a concert that traces a path through praise, penitence, light, and transcendence across nearly six centuries of sacred music featuring Byrd, MacMillan, Vaughan Williams and Gjeilo! From the austerity of plainchant to the exuberance of the Baroque, and from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary spiritual minimalism, Gloria explores the many ways composers have sought to give musical voice to the divine.
The program is framed by settings of the Gloria — one of the Church’s great hymns of praise — beginning in the simplicity of chant and culminating in the radiant energy of Antonio Vivaldi’s celebrated setting. Along the way, listeners encounter moments of contemplation, lament, hope, and ecstatic joy.
During the interval, the parish hall will open for mulled wine and refreshments, providing an opportunity for audience members to meet performers and enjoy fellowship in an informal setting. Organisers say the evening has been designed not only as a concert, but as an occasion that brings people together through beauty, music and community.
