Titled for good reason, Adelaide Chamber Singers’ Stellar concert was special for more reasons than one may have realised. This premier vocal ensemble is again on the verge of big things internationally, because in a matter of days they will fly to Macau, China, to represent Australia at the World Symposium on Choral Music from August 23–28. It is a non-competitive event, but because participating in this triennial choral meet represents the apex of what a choir can achieve, this already makes ACS a winner.

However, it turned out there was more to cheer about, because in amongst a predominantly Australian program, Stellar featured two rather special Adelaide inclusions. On the face of it, ACS is presenting a showcase program of Australian works for Macau, and they have chosen well. Stephen Leek’s ‘Kondalilla’ transports the listener into the rich soundscapes of lush Queensland rainforests, while Joe Twist’s ‘On the Night Train’ expresses a sophisticated contemporary Australia.

Yet this Stellar program stood out most of all for a highly interesting new work by Cheryl van Wageningen and a close-up experience of one of Anne Cawrse’s most memorable vocal compositions. Both pieces took one on a journey that was less pictorial and more concerned with inward spiritual discovery.

One always looks to see if ACS are maintaining their edge. They have a reputation to uphold. Directorial transition from Carol Crossin to Christie Anderson happened four years ago, and their singer line-up has continued to change.

Immediately one felt confident about where they are presently situated. In the opening piece, UK singer-composer Laura Mvula’s Sing to the Moon, Chamber Singers showed what they do best. Without any need for visual hoopla or external trappings, they delivered this neo-gospel song with polish, refinement and natural vivacity. This song is about resolve, of looking up into the night sky for hope, and it felt liberating. Anderson’s 15 singers filled one with all those internal feelings.

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They looked and sounded highly rehearsed. ACS can be forgiven for hauling out some old favourites for this program aimed at international listeners, but they always do them so well. Twist’s scat influenced ‘On the Night Train’ had rhythmic kick while maintaining their customary polish.

Unmistakably, the singers were having fun, which is always a sign of success. And so by now was the audience.

Coming next was one of the most moving things Chamber Singers have ever done. Anderson invited Cheryl van Wageningen to speak about a new composition she has written for ACS, titled ‘I Saw a Girl (Womma mukurta)’. An Adelaide pianist and musicology graduate from the Elder Conservatorium, van Wageningen spoke about how she only learned of her Aboriginal heritage in her 30s, and how a process of great personal healing has taken place to connect this discovery with her life in music.

She now introduces herself as a proud descendant of the Peramangk and Ngarrindjeri peoples of South Australia.

Explaining the impetus behind her composition, van Wageningen described how she saw her granddaughter walk around the labyrinth that lies in the manicured garden that lies at the foot of UKARIA Cultural Centre. Her response is this choral song ‘I Saw a Girl (Womma mukurta)’, whose title in Peramangk language refers to “The Hill on The Plain” – known otherwise as Mount Barker Summit.

Beginning on a single wordless pitch, it unfolds as a hymn-like contemplation, each phrase revealing more about the girl’s discoveries within that labyrinth’s pebble-lined series of circles. Set in a minor tonality and steady in pace, it possessed a direct and immediate power. For all present, including for those who have known Cheryl, hearing her piece in the context of this background was incredibly moving.

Ēriks Ešenvalds’ ‘Stars’ enters a more mystical realm. The Latvian composer asks several of the singers to run their fingers around the rims of wine glasses to create an ethereal glow over their voices. A rapturous work, its escalating vocal intensity can easily create imbalances, but Anderson and her singers showed immaculate control.

Anne Cawrse’s award-winning ‘All Flesh is Fire’ was the standout item in this concert. This song cycle began its life at the 2024 Art Gallery of South Australia Biennial, and it is captivatingly beautiful. Based primarily on Kate Llewellyn’s poem ‘Faith’, its seven movements confront some of the great themes of life: the brevity of human existence, time’s inexorability, and the process of aging.

To hear this work again in the North Adelaide Baroque Hall was in effect to witness its second premiere. This petite hall, increasingly familiar to chamber music concertgoers but less so for ACS followers, boasts an extremely close yet marvellously reverberant acoustic, and in it one could more fully appreciate what Cawrse has accomplished. In ‘All Flesh is Fire’ she responds exquisitely to word and moulds sound with the highest skill.

A sophisticated melodist and harmonist, Cawrse creates a fluid, natural line for each phrase of text and allows ample space to develop. Central in Llewellyn’s poetry is the olive tree, which symbolises a place of natural sanctuary where private reflection can occur. In Cawrse’s song cycle, this translates perfectly into sound. Music fuses with word in an intimate synthesis.

Some 14 choirs from across the globe have been invited to Macau. Australia’s proud representative, we bid ACS farewell and wish them good luck.

Adelaide Chamber Singers performed ‘Stellar’ at North Adelaide Baroque Hall on August 14