Sinfonia Australis is an Australian

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

ensemble founded by

Antony Walker General Sir Antony Kenneth Frederick Walker, (16 May 1934 – 13 October 2023) was a British Army officer who served as Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies from 1990 to 1992. Biography Antony Kenneth Frederick Walker was born ...

and Alison Johnston. They play on

period instruments In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform classical music using restored or replicated versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. Often performances by such musicians are said to be "on authentic ...

. They were founded alongside vocal ensemble

Cantillation Cantillation is the ritual chanting of prayers and responses. It often specifically refers to Jewish Hebrew cantillation. Cantillation sometimes refers to diacritics used in texts that are to be chanted in liturgy. Cantillation includes: * Chant ...

and the Orchestra of the Antipodes. Along with

Gerard Willems Gerard Willems AM (born Gerardus Maria Willems; 19 August 1946) is a Dutch- Australian classical pianist and teacher. He was the first Australian pianist to record the complete series of 32 piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven. He also r ...

received a nomination for the 2004

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

for

Best Classical Album The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as t ...

with their album ''Beethoven Complete Piano Concertos''. Sinfonia Australis often performs with the

Pinchgut Opera Pinchgut Opera is a chamber opera company in Sydney, Australia, presenting opera from the 17th and 18th centuries performed on period instruments. Founded in 2002, Pinchgut stages two operas each year in Sydney's City Recital Hall. It also perfo ...

and appear on many

ABC Classics ABC Music is Australia's largest independent record label. It operates under the ABC Commercial division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It covers a wide range of music genres, including classical, children’s and adult conte ...

albums. Albums they appear on include David Hobson's ''Handel Arias'' and Shu-Cheen Yu's ''Lotus Moon'', both ARIA nominees.

Discography

*Shu-Cheen Yu, Sinfonia Australis, Antony Walker **''Lotus Moon'' (2001) – ABC Classics **''Willow Spirit Song: Folksongs of the Orient'' (2002) – ABC Classics *Cantillation, Sara Macliver,

Teddy Tahu Rhodes Teddy Tahu Rhodes (born 30 August 1966) is a New Zealand-born operatic baritone based in Australia. He has performed at opera houses in New Zealand, Australia, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, New York City and throughou ...

, Sinfonia Australis, Antony Walker **'' Fauré: Requiem'' (2001) – ABC Classics * David Hobson, Sinfonia Australis, Cantillation, Antony Walker **''

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Arias'' (2002) – ABC Classics *

Jane Sheldon Jane Sheldon is a Sydney-born Australian soprano, largely based in New York City. She is an artistic associate at Sydney Chamber Opera. Eliza Aria from Elena Kats-Chernin's ballet ''Wild Swans'' was first recorded by Sheldon in 2004 with the Ta ...

, Cantillation, Sinfonia Australis **''Song of the Angel'' (2003) – ABC Classics *

, Sinfonia Australis, Antony Walker **'' Beethoven Complete Piano Concertos'' (2003) – ABC Classics *David Hobson, Sinfonia Australis,

Guy Noble Guy Noble is an Australian musical composer, conductor, pianist and broadcaster. Noble studied piano in the early 1980s at the Sydney Conservatorium. On a scholarship from the Australia Council he travelled to London where he worked for four yea ...

**''Cinema Paradiso'' (2004) – ABC Classics

References

{{Authority control, state=collapsed Australian classical music groups Early music groups