Transformations - Parramatta

In this stunning program, Van Diemen's Band and bass-baritone Andrew O’Connor perform a program of sacred and secular works from 17th Century Germany and Venice, alongside two newly commissioned works by Alice Chance and Brooke Shelley that reimagine and recontextualize this rich musical heritage. 

This gloriously expressive repertoire, characterised by rich harmonies and playful dialogue, is the perfect medium to showcase the beauty of the baritone voice.

This concert features works by Heinrich Schütz, Franz Tunder, Nicolaus Bruhns, and Dieterich Buxtehude—composers whose music explores profound themes of faith, readiness, and human vulnerability.

Connecting this music to the present day, two extraordinary Australian composers have created contemporary responses to this baroque repertoire: Brooke Shelley's Et Versa Est Victoria takes Schütz's deeply moving Fili mi, Absalom—a father's lament for his son—as its point of departure; and Alice Chance's Au Nord draws on one of the program's central works, Mein Herz ist bereit (My heart is ready), exploring the unexpected paths life presents and our courage to keep striving for the things for which we yearn.

Transformations offers audiences a meditation on how we inherit, honour, and reimagine the artistic voices of the past.