High school & adult choir

The Brissler Edition of Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K. 626 is a classic nineteenth-century vocal score prepared by Friedrich Brissler for C.F. Peters. It relies on the traditional completion by Mozart’s student Franz Xaver Süssmayr, and is the structural foundation for many widely used choral scores available today.

The genesis of the work

In the summer of 1791 a mysterious messenger commissioned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to compose a Requiem, a Mass for the dead. The patron was Count Franz Walsegg, who intended to pass the work off as his own to honour his late wife. Plagued by declining health and a premonition of his own death, Mozart died on 5 December 1791, leaving the piece unfinished. His widow Constanze turned to several of his students to finish the composition. Ultimately Franz Xaver Süssmayr completed the orchestration, filled in missing movements, and brought the masterwork to the form we know today.

Musical structure and themes

The Requiem balances the stark fear of the Last Judgment with the eternal hope of God’s grace.

In the 2026 concert:

• Introitus & Kyrie — the work opens with a dark, mournful plea for eternal rest, soon bursting into a powerful, complex fugue for the Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy”).
• Sequentia — this highly dramatic sequence features the famous Dies irae (Day of Wrath), depicting the terror of judgment. It includes Rex tremendae and Confutatis, with individual solos (Tuba mirum, Recordare), and climaxes with the emotionally devastating Lacrymosa (Day of Weeping), the point at which Mozart’s original manuscript tragically breaks off.

Not included in the 2026 performance:

• Offertorium — focuses on the deliverance of souls from the “lion’s mouth” and includes beautiful, overlapping fugal sections.
• Sanctus & Benedictus — shifts to a joyful, trumpet-laden praise of God, leading into a serene, quartet-driven Benedictus.
• Agnus Dei & Communio — the final movements ask for peace and grant eternal rest, with Süssmayr cleverly bringing the work full circle by repeating the musical themes from the opening Introitus.

A programmatic spectacle celebrating Russia’s 1812 defeat of Napoleon. Choral versions — notably Igor Buketoff’s famous arrangement, as sung in this year’s Celebration Sing Out! — enhance the grandiosity by adding vocals to the quiet opening hymn and the triumphant, cannon-backed finale.

The narrative and musical themes

• The calm (Mother Russia). The piece opens with a solemn Russian Orthodox hymn, “God Save Thy People” (Troparion of the Holy Cross), representing the people’s peaceful piety.
• The invasion (France). Suddenly a turbulent, march-like rhythm signals the gathering of Napoleon’s army. The overture incorporates fragmented strains of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, representing the encroaching forces.
• The clash. Back-and-forth themes represent the bitter battles of the Russian campaign. La Marseillaise and Russian military themes battle for dominance, with the French theme frequently overpowering the Russian retreat.
• The victory. Ultimately the Russian forces prevail. The main themes return in a massive crescendo accompanied by live cannons (or large bass drums indoors) and cathedral bells, symbolising the liberation of Moscow.

The choral elements

While the original composition was strictly orchestral, choral arrangements introduce majestic vocal lines to heighten the drama. At the opening the choir quietly introduces the sombre Orthodox chant, setting a tone of spiritual reverence before the military conflict begins. In the finale the chorus triumphantly joins the orchestra, singing words of national pride, thanksgiving and victory, their voices soaring over the brass fanfares, church bells and cannon fire.

Peter Allen AM (1944–1992)

Peter Allen AM was one of Australia’s most joyful and much-loved entertainers. Born Peter Richard Woolnough in Tenterfield, New South Wales, he began performing as a child, playing piano and singing for audiences from the age of eleven. His early life took him from country New South Wales to the bright lights of Sydney, Asia and eventually New York.

Peter became famous for his energy, humour, warm smile and unforgettable stage presence. Wearing his trademark bright shirts, he filled theatres with music, movement and laughter. As a songwriter he created songs that have become part of Australia’s shared musical memory, including Tenterfield Saddler, I Go to Rio and the beloved I Still Call Australia Home. He also co-wrote I Honestly Love You, made famous by Olivia Newton-John, and Arthur’s Theme, which won an Academy Award.

In 1990 Peter Allen was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the performing arts. His music continues to speak to children, families, choirs and communities because it is full of heart, courage, fun and a deep love of home. For Celebration Sing Out! 2026 we celebrate Peter as a storyteller whose songs help us sing together with pride, hope and joy.

The Boy from Oz — the musical

My songs are my biography. — Peter Allen

The Boy from Oz is the most successful Australian musical ever and the first to make it to Broadway. It is a musical biography and tribute to the late, great Peter Allen. In the United States Peter enjoyed the highs of success, winning an Oscar, selling out performances at Radio City Music Hall, and receiving adulation when he returned to Australia. Producer Ben Gannon realised Peter’s extraordinary life had the potential to become a magnificent musical, and with Robert Fox turned it into the smash hit it became.

The late Nick Enright skilfully wove his plot around the life and complexities of Peter Allen. The songs and lyrics sit easily with the rhythm of the piece and with the characters as they enter and re-enter his life, be they dead or alive. It leaps, as does Peter himself, from past to present and back again, all within the familiar context of one of his energy-packed concerts.

Tommy Tycho (1928–2013), arranger

Recognised as Australia’s most distinguished and versatile artist in the field of contemporary music, the name Tycho earned an international reputation for excellence and is synonymous with high achievement in arranging, composing, conducting and performing.

At the birth of television in 1956 Tommy joined Channel 7, where he soon became their first Musical Director. Network 7 needed a complete musician who could conduct an orchestra, compose, arrange, orchestrate, improvise and perform live — Tommy was the perfect choice, and one of the first faces seen on Australian television. During his career he toured as accompanist and musical director for every major local and international performer, including Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, Roy Orbison, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Allen, Anthony Warlow and Julie Anthony.

Choirs, orchestra, pipe organ and audience.

This famous Christmas carol has been sung at the conclusion of all children’s charity concerts and Celebration Sing Out! at Sydney Town Hall since 1939, as these concerts fall at the start of the Christmas season. It gives full voice to the mighty and culturally significant Sydney Town Hall pipe organ. No other Christmas carol offers such musical and historic richness.

The carol can be sung by religious and non-religious alike, in the Australian tradition of sharing participation in each other’s faiths and cultures. It can be sung on a neutral syllable such as “ah” or “noo” if preferred, rather than singing the words.

The music features rich four-part harmonies, sung in full by the high school and adult choir — sometimes a descant, sometimes unison, always with both orchestral and grand pipe organ accompaniment. Primary singers and members of the audience sing along with the melody while the choirs sing harmony.

The arrangement was made in 1961 by Sir David Willcocks (1919–2015), Director of Music at King’s College, Cambridge from 1957 to 1974. The origins of the carol go back 800 years; the earliest printed version of “Adeste Fideles” is in a book published by John Wade in 1751, and in 1841 an English Catholic priest translated it into the English version commonly sung today.