The Sydney Symphony Orchestra Performs Ngapa William Cooper
Sydney Symphony orchestra musicians performing
In 2014, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra joined with composer Nigel Westlake and singer/songwriter Lior to present Compassion – and it proved a huge hit, winning awards and becoming an instant audience favourite. In 2024, the Orchestra reunites with Westlake and Lior for their rich new collaboration with language activist Lou Bennett.
Ngapa William Cooper is a tribute to the life of Yorta Yorta activist William Cooper, an Aboriginal activist who played a pivotal role in establishing equal rights for Aboriginal Australians and led the Australian Aborigine’s League protest against the events of Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany.
‘A work of both outstanding musical quality and extraordinary cultural significance.’ – Limelight
Sung in English and Yorta Yorta language, this powerful story combines Westlake’s signature rich musical palette with moving vocals from Lior and Bennett to celebrate Cooper’s legacy of resistance, solidarity and empathy.
This performance will also feature Nigel Westlake’s Trumpet Concerto, written for the Orchestra’s Associate Principal Trumpet Brent Grapes, and Frederick Septimus Kelly's Elegy in Memoriam Rupert Brooke. Written while Kelly was in the trenches at Gallipoli, this piece speaks equally powerfully to compassion and our shared humanity.
Program
- ARVO PÄRT Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
- NIGEL WESTLAKE Psyche, Concerto for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra
- NIGEL WESTLAKE, LIOR, LOU BENNETT, SARAH GORY Ngapa William Cooper
Artists
- Nigel Westlake - Conductor
- Lior - Vocals
- Lou Bennett - Vocals
- Brent Grapes - Trumpet
- Musicians of the Sydney Symphony
Event Information
- Date: Friday 24 May 2024 from 7:30pm - 9:00pm
- Location: The Harold Lobb Concert Hall, Newcastle Conservatorium of Music
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.