On Saturday, November 14th, a truly unique Remembrance Day concert will commemorate the ANZAC spirit with a piece of work called ‘Remembrance Odyssey’ that has been created by Brendan Collins and Justin Fleming as well as a programme of music used in films about war.
The concert is being presented by the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra (KPO) – https://www.kpo.org.au. Set up in 1971, this beautiful orchestra boasts 150 musicians from all walks of life and all ages, brought together through their love of music.
REMEMBRANCE ODYSSEY is a choral and orchestral work specially commissioned by the KPO to commemorate Gallipoli. The piece was inspired by the book Rallying the Troops, which was published in 2014 by the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society.
Director of the Australian War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson, will attend the performance and will launch the new work. The piece, which explores the meaning that the Gallipoli experience has for us in a modern context, particularly references young people. Choirs from Barker College, Abbotsleigh and Brigidine College will participate, with Phillip Heath as the narrator and solo soprano, Ayse Goknur Shanala, who is of Turkish ethnicity.
The programme also includes a number of other works which have been used in movies about war (such as John Williams’ Hymn to the Fallen – from Saving Private Ryan, and Peter Sculthorpe’s Small Town). The conductor will be Steven Hillinger.
The concert invites all Sydney-siders as well as Returning Servicemen and their families to an evening of remembrance that will tell the story of the impact of war through music. The Ku-ring-gai Council and Bond Partners of Chatswood are supporting the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra by offering free tickets to Returning Servicemen and their families from the Hornsby and Roseville RSL sub-branches. The concert will also raise money for the charity Soldier On which helps contemporary servicemen who have suffered physical or psychological damage.
When: Saturday, November 14th at 7.30pm
Where: Bowie Hall, Brigidine College, 325 Mona Vale Road, St. Ives
Book online at www.kpo.org.au or call 9499 6633
Tickets: $30/$25/$15. Family of four – $75.