The Choir

The Adelaide Chamber Singers

Adelaide Chamber Singers has been a passionate and innovative contributor to music making in Adelaide for over twenty-six years. Formed in 1985 by its Artistic Director and Conductor Carl Crossin, the ensemble comprises some of Adelaide’s best and most experienced ensemble singers, some of whom are also emerging artists or conductors in their own right. Adelaide Chamber Singers is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading chamber choirs and was recently awarded one of South Australia’s premier Arts awards, the 2011 Ruby Award for “sustained contribution by an organisation”.

Adelaide Chamber Singers has toured Australia on several occasions and has performed at the Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth International Festivals, as well as a range of regional festivals including the Bundaleer, Coonawarra, Barossa and Coriole Festivals, the Promenade of Sacred Music in Victoria, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival and, in 2011, the Musica Viva Huntington Estate Festival in NSW.

Adelaide Chamber Singers has also toured internationally and has given highly acclaimed performances at the 2004 Tokyo International Festival, the 1999 Norfolk and Norwich Festival, the 1996 National Convention of the Association of British Choral Directors, the 2006 International Choral Kathaumixw in Canada, the 2006 International Choral Festival in the USA and the 2006 Cambridge Summer Music Festival. ACS was Australia’s representative at both the Asia South Pacific Symposium on Choral Music in Singapore in 2001 and at the 6th World Symposium on Choral Music in the USA in 2002. In 2006, Adelaide Chamber Singers won the award of “Choir of the World at Kathaumixw 2006” at the prestigious International Choral Kathaumixw in British Columbia, Canada.

Adelaide Chamber Singers has also received awards for its recordings: the ABC Classics CD recording of Peter Sculthorpe’s Requiem with the ASO conducted by Arvo Volmer was selected as an Editor’s Choice in the July 2007 edition of the prestigious Gramophone magazine; and the ACS recording (with the ASO conducted by Richard Mills) of Ross Edwards’ Symphony No. 4 “Star Chant” was awarded the “Best Choral/Orchestral Recording of 2008” by the Australian Music Centre.

ACS has given the Adelaide premieres of most of the choral works of Arvo Pärt and performed Arvo Pärt’s Passio under the direction of internationally recognised Pärt specialist, Paul Hillier at the 2007 Adelaide Film Festival. Adelaide Chamber Singers made its film debut in 2003 in Paul Cox’s “Human Touch”.

Recent works performed by Adelaide Chamber Singers include:
  • Sergei Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil Op. 37 (‘Vespers’)
  • Peter Sculthorpe’s Requiem — 2004 Adelaide Festival of Arts (World Premiere)
  • Thomas Tallis’s 40-part motet Spem in alium
  • Arvo Pärt’s Passio, Seven Magnificat Antiphons, Magnificat, Te Deum & Dopo la vittoria (Adelaide Premiere)
  • J. S. Bach’s Johannes Passion, Mattheus Passion, Mass in B Minor & Magnificat
  • Jonathan Mills’ Sandakan Threnody (World Premiere)
  • Benjamin Britten’s Sacred & Profane Op. 91 (Adelaide Premiere)
  • Ross Edwards’ Symphony No. 4 “Star Chant” 2002 Adelaide Festival of Arts (World Premiere)
  • Orazzio Vecchi’s madrigal comedy L’Amfiparnaso (Adelaide Premiere)
  • Adriano Banchieri’s madrigal comedy Festino (Adelaide Premiere)
  • Handel’s Messiah, Israel in Egypt & The ways of Zion do Mourn
  • Orlando di Lasso’s spiritual madrigal cycle Lagrime di San Pietro (Adelaide Premiere)
Australian Festivals and Events:
  • Perth Festival (2005)
  • Adelaide Festival (1994, 1998, 2000, 2002 & 2004)
  • Coriole Festival (2000-03 & 2005)
  • Penola Coonawarra Festival (2004)
  • Australian National Choral Association’s Choralfest (Melbourne, 2000 & Adelaide, 2004)
  • National Conference of the Australian Society for Music Education (2001)
  • ‘Voices’ Festival in Tasmania (1997)
  • Barossa International Music Festival (1994 & 1995)
  • Melbourne International Festival (1993)
International Tours:
  • Canada, USA & UK (July 2006)
  • Japan (September 2004)
  • United States of America (2002)
  • Singapore (2001)
  • Britain (1999)
  • Britain and Norway (1996)
Significant International Performances:
  • 2004 Tokyo Performing Arts Festival (Tokyo, Japan 2004)
  • 6th World Symposium on Choral Music (Minneapolis, USA 2002)
  • Asia and South Pacific Symposium on Choral Music (Singapore 2001)
  • Norwich and Norfolk Festival (UK 1999)
  • 10th Annual National Convention of the Association of British Choral Directors (Oxford, 1996)
  • Live performances for BBC Radio 3 (UK 1996 & 1999)