Overview

Canberra Choral Society (CCS) welcomes the arrival of Spring with 'Songs of Open Country', a specially curated concert featuring beautifully evocative choral music celebrating the wonders of nature and the deep connections and resonance with human experience. Directed by Dan Walker, CCS Music Director, with Dr Anthony Smith on piano, and the CCS choir.

Traditional Icelandic and Appalachian songs sit alongside a rich variety of contemporary works. David Childs' setting of Emily Dickinson's poem 'The Moon is Distant from the Sea', Lili Boulanger's lovely 'Hymne au Soleil' (Hymn to the Sun), and Elaine Hagenberg's exuberant setting of Leonora Speyer's poem 'Measure Me, Sky!' portray diverse colours and moods. Ola Gjeilo's 'Tundra' with lyrics by Charles Anthony Silvestri transports listeners to the intensely still, frozen beauty of Norway's far north.

Australian voices sing through the landscape. Dan Walker's own 'You, Me and the Wide Open Sky' (lyrics with Luke Byrne), Daniel Brinsmead's setting of American poet Joyce Kilmer's 'Trees', and selections from Michael Dooley's 'Songs from the High Country', commissioned in 2022 for CCS's 70th anniversary, all evoke a strong sense of place and belonging.

From film and stage come new choral arrangements by Dan Walker of Burt Bacharach's 'South American Getaway' (from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and 'Where?' from 'The Rabbits', by Kate Miller-Heidke with Iain Grandage.

A moving and uplifting musical evening.