WASO Chorus Sings: Devotion
SPECIAL EVENT
Sunday 19 July, 2.30pm
St Mary's Cathedral
West Australian Symphony Orchestra respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and Elders of Country throughout Western Australia, and the Whadjuk Noongar people on whose lands we work and share music.
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Welcome
WASO Chorus Sings: Devotion
Colin MAWBY Ave verum corpus
William BYRD Ave verum corpus
Tomás Luis de VICTORIA O magnum mysterium
Morten LAURIDSEN O magnum mysterium
Maurice DURUFLÉ Choral varié sur le thème du ’Veni Creator’
Maurice DURUFLÉ Ubi Caritas
Ola GJEILO Ubi Caritas
Franz SCHUBERT Ave Maria
Felix MENDELSSOHN Ave Maria
Hugh Lydon director
Holly Broadbent organ
Matthew Reardon tenor
WASO Chorus
This concert does not contain an interval.
Listen to WASO
This performance is recorded for broadcast Sunday 9 August, 1pm (AWST) on ABC Classic. Date subject to change. For further details visit abc.net.au/classic.
WASO On Stage
About the Artists
Hugh Lydon
Chorus Director
Hugh Lydon is a teacher, singer and conductor who is passionate about all aspects of choral music. This love was developed by his training as a chorister in Westminster Cathedral from 1992-1997. Hugh moved to Perth in 2010, having previously studied Music Education at Trinity College Dublin.
Whilst living in WA, he has immersed himself in the choral scene, both as a performer and a teacher. Hugh currently holds the role of Director of the Aquinas College Schola Cantorum, a choral scholarship program unique within WA where choristers receive nine hours of musical training each week. He is also the founder of the Perth Choral Institute and has been the Children's Chorus Master for West Australian Opera for the past three years. Other conducting opportunities have included the WASO Chorus, The Giovanni Consort, Opus WA, Winthrop Singers and St George’s Cathedral Consort.
Hugh was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2022 to create tertiary pathways for choral musicians in Western Australia.
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About the Artists
Holly Broadbent
Organ
Holly Broadbent is Principal Organist at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth, and recently returned to Australia after completing a Master of Music degree in organ performance at Yale University, where she studied with James O’Donnell. During her studies at Yale, she was awarded the Charles Ives Award for an outstanding organ major and the Julia R. Sherman Memorial Prize for excellence in organ performance from the Yale School of Music. Holly also holds an undergraduate degree in composition, First Class Honours in organ performance, and a Master’s degree in teaching.
Prior to her studies overseas, Holly served as an organist at St George’s Cathedral, Perth, where she accompanied the cathedral choir in weekly services and presented recital performances. In 2023, she was selected to work with Juilliard's Professor of Organ, Paul Jacobs, as part of the Oregon Bach Festival.
Holly has performed extensively throughout Australia and the United States. Later this year, Holly will travel to the UK to perform as a soloist in various locations including Westminster Abbey.
Alongside her work as a performer, Holly is an accomplished composer. Her compositions have been workshopped with Richard Gill and members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Gondwana Chorale, the Australian String Quartet, and the Flinders Quartet. In 2017, she travelled to Oxford University to study choral composition with James Whitbourn.
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About the Artists
Matthew Reardon
Tenor
Australian Tenor Matthew Reardon is a graduate of The Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts, the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust and the International Academy of Voice in Cardiff, Wales.
Matthew debuted in Deborah Cheetham’s First Nations Opera, Pecan Summer. Other professional engagements include Pinkerton (Madame Butterfly) and Don Jose (Carmen) for Opera Australia, Roméo (Romeo and Juliet) for Festival Opera, NZ, Cavardossi (Tosca) with the Australian Discovery Orchestra, Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Rodolfo (La bohème) and Vašek (The Bartered Bride) at Music Academy of the West in California under the guidance of Marilyn Horne.
Matthew continues to tour nationally with his group The Australian Tenors. Bringing classical music to remote parts of Australia.
Most recently Matthew was seen on the Sydney Opera House stage performing as the Tenor Soloist in the Greatest Opera Hits concert series for Opera Australia.
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About the Chorus
WASO Chorus
Formed in 1988, the WASO Chorus is comprised of around 100 volunteer choristers who represent the finest form of community music-making, bringing together singers from all walks of life. They regularly feature in the WASO annual concert season and are directed by Hugh Lydon.
The Chorus has built an international reputation for its high standards and diverse range of repertoire. While its main role is to perform with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Chorus also maintains a profile of solo concerts, tours, and community engagements.
The Chorus sings with the finest conductors and soloists including Asher Fisch, Simone Young, Stephen Layton, and Paul Daniel. Recent highlights have included Mahler’s Symphony No.8 and Britten’s War Requiem. In 2019, the Chorus performed at the Denmark Festival of Voice and in 2018 toured China with performances of Orff’s Carmina burana.
In 2020, they performed two Gala events on the Kalbarri Skywalk. In 2023, the Chorus was invited to Hobart to perform Brahms’ German Requiem with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO), the TSO Chorus, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and members of the public, conducted by Simon Halsey.
In 2024, the WASO Chorus performed with members of the WA Opera Chorus, the UWA Symphonic Chorus, Voyces, and Aquinas College’s Schola Cantorum in WASO’s presentation of Mahler’s Symphony No.8.
Hugh Lydon Chorus Director
Gladys Chua Répétiteur
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WASO Recommends
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The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
A powerful call for reflection, Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man is one of the most moving choral works of our time. From its powerful opening to the sublime Benedictus, this work speaks directly to the soul. The WASO Chorus will bring this powerful piece to life, with moments of intensity to passages of breathtaking stillness. Every note will resonate with humanity, hope, and love – a plea for peace.
Saturday 19 September 2026, 7.30pm
Winthrop Hall
By arrangement with ORiGiN Theatrical. By permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers
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About WASO
Engage | Excite | Experience | Educate
From the centre of Perth to the furthest corners of the state, we have provided the soundtrack to life in WA since 1928.
As the State Orchestra, Perth’s first and finest, WASO is the largest employer of performing artists in Western Australia and reaches two million people with musical experiences each year on stage, in our community, and online.
From concert stages to classrooms, hospitals to aged care, we bring joy, inspire learning, and nurture participation in our community, because everybody deserves the opportunity to experience live music. Every year, through community and leading industry partnerships, we engage a new generation of young and emerging artists to help secure a bright future for music in Australia.
We celebrate our rich classical music heritage with great artists from all over the world and commission and perform new repertoire to renew and expand it. The Orchestra collaborates widely with major arts companies and independent artists, performing opera to ballet, movies to musicals, jazz to rock.
Asher Fisch is Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser of our Orchestra. We champion the diversity of music in all its forms, with a team of talented and passionate people who create unforgettable experiences for all West Australians to enjoy.
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Your Concert Experience
Get the best out of your concert experience at St Mary's Cathedral.
- Explore the music
Be sure to take a quick look at the performance schedule or enjoy a deep dive into the music with your concert program online or in the foyer. - Share with your friends
Snap a selfie from your seat, capture the artist bows and share the experience with friends. Don’t forget to tag us! #wasymphonyorchestra - Clap with enthusiasm
Whether you are welcoming your favourite artist to the stage, or showing appreciation at the end of a piece, we love thunderous applause. Not sure when to clap? Here’s a tip; if the conductor’s arm is raised, hold it. If it’s relaxed, go for it! - Respect those around you
Ensure your mobile phone is on silent and does not disrupt the experience of those around you. If you need to cough or sneeze, please do this into your elbow. - Accessible services available
For information about our services such as ramps and accessible toilets, please ask one our friendly Front of House team members. - Latecomers admitted at a suitable time
If you arrive late or leave your seat during a performance, your auditorium entry will need to wait until a suitable break. - First Aid available
St John First Aid officers are present at every WASO concert. Please notify a team member if you require any first aid assistance. - Plan Your Next WASO Experience
Visit waso.com.au to buy online or book an in-person ticketing appointment by calling (08) 9326 0000.
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