The University of Newcastle Chamber Choir

Director: Philip Matthias

Winners of Channel 7's "Battle Of The Choirs" and the ABC's "Choir Of The Year - Adult Choir" competition, the University's Chamber Choir offers aspiring singers an opportunity to sing with and learn from this very distinguished choral ensemble. Entry to the choir is by audition only, and to meet their regular performance and recording commitments the choir rehearses every Wednesday from 5 - 7pm. 

The University of Newcastle Chamber Choir has been in its current format since its inception in 1995, consisting of students and other members of the community, all of whom have a love of singing and who enjoy performing challenging and varied repertoire. Over the past few years the Choir has had many successes, including major wins in national competitions, performances in many of the world’s great venues and the release of four compact disc recordings.

The Choir has toured internationally four times: the UK in 2000 and 2007, UK and France in 2002 and South Korea in 2004. The Choir has performed in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on many occasions, also in Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Chelmsford Cathedral, Temple Church, London, St Alban’s Abbey, St Asaph Cathedral, Wales, and Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. The Choir has undertaken twelve live broadcasts for BBC Radio and recorded two programs for BBC’s Sunday Half-Hour.

The Choir was hosted by five South Korean universities during the 2004 tour performing to its largest and most exuberant audiences ever at many concerts and church services across the region. See 'UniNews' - May 2004  (669kB PDF).

Nationally the Choir has toured to Brisbane, Canberra, Singleton, Tamworth, Sydney, Goulburn, Armidale & Port Macquarie.

In recent years the Choir has also had major successes at the McDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge, including winning the Open Award for Choirs, the City of Sydney Chamber Choir Award and the Australian Choral Award. The adjudicators’ comments included:  "a choir of outstanding quality. You have really achieved a level of performance to place you in the company of international choirs. Bravo!"

On 4th August 2006 the Choir won the adult section of the NSW state finals of the ABC Choir of the Year competition. The choir was one of the six chosen from 12 state final winners to compete in the National finals and subsequently won the adult section of the competition on Saturday 30th September. Both the state and national finals were broadcast nationally from the City Recital Hall in Sydney, on ABC Classic FM.

In 2007 the Choir continued its success returning triumphant in the McDonald's Performing Arts Challenge in June, where it won the John Lamble Australasian Open Choral Championship. Also, at the National Eisteddfod held in Canberra in August, the Choir won all three of the divisions entered, the Open Sacred Choral Award, the Open Contemporary Australian Choral event and the inaugural Australian Open Choir Championship.

The Choir has a wide ranging repertoire, from the Renaissance to music from this century and includes a number of Australian works. In August 2006 the choir was the guest choir at the National Seniors' Choral Festival held in Newcastle and premiered To Love by Peter Sculthorpe.

In 2008 the Choir will tour to Melbourne and Tasmania, being a guest choir at the Festival of Voices in Hobart. The Choir will also make its first appearance for Musica Viva , presenting the first Australian performance of Gabriel Jackson's 40 part motet, Sanctum est verun lumen in conjunction with the Sydney Chamber Choir.

Learn more about Philip Matthias, Director of The University of Newcastle Chamber Choir.