About — Music in the Regions

luminescence chamber singers drawing breath

Following a successful 2022 tour with Omega Ensemble, Music in the Regions will return to NSW’s Central West and Orana regions, featuring Luminescence Chamber Singers. A six-piece ensemble, Luminescence champions the unbound expressive potential of our original instrument - the human voice.

Since 2015, Luminescence has performed extensively in Canberra and the surrounding regions, presenting an annual concert program as well as appearing for a range of festivals, collaborations and special events. Performance highlights have included appearances at the Sydney Opera House (2023), the National Museum of Australia (2022), and the National Gallery of Australia (2023), as well as appearances for the Enlighten Festival (2018), Four Winds Festival (Bermagui, 2019; 2020; 2022), and the Bowral Autumn Music Festival (2023). Since 2017, Luminescence has appeared annually at the Canberra International Music Festival, working closely with long-time collaborator and mentor Roland Peelman, and performing in more than 20 festival programs alongside many of Australia's finest musicians. Recent accolades have included a 2022 Canberra Critic’s Circle Award for Ave Regina: God Be With The Mother, a 2022 CAPO Award, and a 2022 ABC Classic FM Commission. In May, Luminescence premiered Pictures at an ExHERbition - a collaboration with composer/pianist Sally Whitwell and the National Gallery of Australia. Recently released recordings of new music by Whitwell, sung by Luminescence, are now included in a number of NGA audio-guides.

In Drawing Breath Luminescence Chamber Singers explore first breaths, last breaths, and music as diverse as the vast compass of human life and feeling in between: from Machaut and Gesualdo, to Pink Floyd, and newly commissioned works by Australian composers Brenda Gifford, Connor D’Netto, and Dan Walker.