Voices on Mass

Presented by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO), the inaugural Voices en Masse brought together members of the TSO Chorus, Sydney Philharmonia Choir, WASO Chorus and 200 community singers, who travelled to Hobart from across the country.

WASO were invited to join the event off the back of our long-standing connection with the TSO Chorus. The two choruses most recently came together for WASO’s performance of Britten’s War Requiem in 2022 and Verdi’s Requiem in 2019.

35 WASO choristers rehearsed in Perth before joining the mass choir for three rehearsals and one performance in Hobart under the direction of renowned British choral director and conductor Simon Halsey CBE. In a true show of Australian vocal talent, soprano Eleanor Lyons and baritone Simon Meadows performed as soloists in Brahms’ monumental work.
 

The sold-out Voices en Masse event was held at the Federation Concert Hall, which presented some unique challenges for a performance of such significant scale.

With no choir stalls in the Concert Hall, the choristers were spread across the back of the stage and front rows of the auditorium, creating a surrounding halo of voices for the orchestra, soloists and conductor, and a unique experience for the audience.
 

For the WASO choristers, it was their second time performing the work in recent years, with WASO presenting Brahms’ German Requiem in 2021.

Andrew Foote, WASO Chorus Director said, “I could not be prouder of the WASO Chorus in this massive undertaking. The WASO choristers were featured on stage for the three most difficult movements (3, 4 and 5), and then returned to the auditorium seats to sing the rest of the work, moving like a well-oiled machine.

For many, including myself, this was the first time we had left Perth since early 2020, and the event demonstrated the visceral power of music to unite musical friends and colleagues in a combined activity.  For a musical work which is based upon seeing the upside when despair strikes, Brahms would have been thrilled!” 
 

We thank the TSO Chorus for their invitation to join this fantastic event, and look forward to our next collaboration!