Camerata hits the right note 

Christ Church Cathedral’s very own Director of Music, Dr David Banney, created a fresh reimagining on the completion of Mozart’s Requiem.

With the grandeur of the orchestra and choir filling the Cathedral, this was recently performed by the Christ Church Camerata and Festival Voices Newcastle.

“The Christ Church Camerata is a string orchestra based at the Cathedral, and the leading ensemble of Newcastle,” David says.

“The Camerata gives five or six concerts every year and performs regularly in services at the Cathedral.

“Usually once a year we join forces with choirs, and usually the Cathedral Choir and the Festival Voices Newcastle, which is a chamber choir directed by Christopher Allan.

“This is an enormous undertaking, coordinating the orchestra – we are usually just strings, but we add wind, brass and organ for this concert – the two choirs, and four soloists. We started planning this more than a year ago.
“The Cathedral is the home of the Camerata, and our regular venue.

“The Requiem was composed to be sung in a church, so this is the ideal place for it.”

With sponsorship from Create NSW, the Camerata has been able to perform several events.

The funding supported a community workshop for string players in Maitland – in collaboration with the Maitland Regional Art Gallery – as well as the commission of new additions to the Requiem.

“Music is vital to our community life, and live music is especially important,” David says.

“More and more these days, our consumption of music involves earbuds and streaming services, which is not only destroying our shared experience of music, but dislocating family and social life.

“Music is meant to bring people together – earbuds are tearing people apart and creating terrible social isolation.

“The Cathedral is the leader in live classical music in Newcastle, and the community should be encouraged to come to our services at 10am and 6pm each week, in which the choir sings beautifully.”