Allegri Ensemble
Allegri Ensemble performs several concerts each year in churches and recital halls around Hobart.
A Choral Journey for the Festive Season.
Experience a program that traces the journey from Annunciation to Candlemas – from the news brought by angels, to the Nativity, and beyond. Musical gems from Renaissance masters such as Morales, Victoria and Praetorius mark the moments in the Christmas calendar, interwoven with beautiful carols both traditional and contemporary.
Allegri Ensemble presents 'Mass & Meditation'; an hour of sublime choral music of sacred origins, encompassing both the peaceful and powerful presentations of collective human voices.
The cornerstone of this performance is the cornerstone piece of double choir composition itself - Frank Martin's mighty 'Mass for Double Choir'. Its nature as an antiphonal work enables both meditation and power to both act independently of each other, but collide at critical moments. Martin's masterpiece is accompanied by Samuel Barber's evocative Adagio for Strings turned 'Agnus Dei', alongside G.P. Palestrina's timeless 'Sicut Cervus', Lotti's poignant 'Crucifixus', and Rheinberger's tranquil 'Abendlied'.
Experience both the peace and power of choral music on Sunday the 13th of September with Allegri Ensemble in 'Mass & Meditation'.
Allegri Ensemble are excited to announce this performance of renaissance masterpieces, often for not one, not two, but up to three choirs simultaneously! This programme is a homage to a particular style of multi-choir composition - exemplified in the music of Giovanni Gabrieli - which made dramatic use of the vast acoustic of the Basilica di San Marco in Venice. Multiple choirs of singers and brass instruments combine to create a massive and powerful soundscape.
Orlando Lassus's resonant Missa Bell' Amfitrit' altera for double choir forms the centrepiece of this concert. Other key highlights of this program include Monteverdi's well-known Cantate Domino, Schütz's stunning setting of Psalm 110 for three separate choirs, as well as an exhilarating setting of Hodie Christus Natus Est - and several canzoni for brass - by Gabrieli himself.
Jonathan Wallis, newly appointed Interim Director of the Conservatorium of Music, curates and directs this programme as Allegri Ensemble's second performance for 2026. They are joined by some of Hobart's leading brass players, acting both in their own right as well as individual voices within the choral singers.
Come along to the beautiful spaces of St Mary's Cathedral to be immersed in the sounds of many choirs in "Echoes of Venice".
St David's Cathedral, in cooperation with the Allegri Ensemble, the Hobart Bach Festival Orchestra and the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra, will be presenting two performances of Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion on 27 March (7pm) and 28 March (2:30pm).
The Cathedral's Director of Music, Thomas Rimes will be conducting the performances which will feature an outstanding assembly of Tasmanian and interstate singers and instrumentalists, including:
The Matthew Passion is one of the towering masterpieces of western music and expresses the Passion story with a unique combination of emotional depth and musical beauty to create a profound listening experience for audiences of all faith backgrounds.
No reserved seating. Performance includes a 20 minute interval.
Allegri Ensemble presents a diverse program of beautiful music for Advent and Christmas. "Behold, a shining star" draws from a range of eras and yuletide contexts, from settings of the Christmas story in peacetime and in war, to lullabies fit for a baby in a crib.
As usual join us after the concert for our tradition festive supper, with champagne and Christmas cake enough for all!
Children under 10 are admitted free of charge.
Hobart Chamber Orchestra and Allegri Ensemble join forces for a thrilling concert of striking contrasts. Dive into Grace Williams' Sea Sketches (1944), a vivid musical portrait of the ocean's shifting moods.
Experience the Australian premiere of Tõnu Kõrvits' haunting Moorland Elegies (2015), a spellbinding suite for strings and choir setting Emily Brontë's poems, dark, sensuous, and ultimately serene.
The second half bursts with the joyous energy of Vivaldi's timeless Gloria (c.1715), famed for its infectious rhythms and radiant melodies that never fail to uplift. Join us Sunday 7 September at St David's Cathedral for an unforgettable afternoon of powerful, evocative music.
Allegri Ensemble presents an hour-long pause for remembering and reflection with a deeply moving program of enduringly beautiful choral music. This performance delicately balances melancholy with hope and optimism in the resonant acoustic of St Mary's Cathedral.
The rich harmonies of Herbert Howells's Requiem is the centrepiece of a program that explores the many meanings of remembrance. Caroline Shaw's enigmatic and the swallow and Will Todd's powerful O Lux Beata showcase reflection in a 21st century context. Robert Parson's well-known Ave Maria from the 16th century concludes the concert on a note of hope.
Under the direction of musical director Dr Jonathan Wallis, Allegri Ensemble will be joined by Dr Calvin Bowman, organist extraordinaire, academic and composer. Bowman's recently completed anthem O Lord, support us all the day long for choir and organ, commissioned by the ensemble, will receive its World Premiere during this performance.
This intimate chamber concert from Allegri Ensemble presents musical treasures from the German church tradition in the generation before Bach.
Accompanied throughout by a baroque instrumental ensemble, Allegri Ensemble performs the choral music that influenced Bach himself. The program features compositions from 17th century masters Dietrich Buxtehude, Michael Praetorius, and Johann Sebastian's older cousins Johann Christoph Bach and Johann Michael Bach. There is also a gorgeous instrumental suite by Johann Pachelbel - though not including his well-known Canon! The concert culminates with a rarely-heard treat: Bach's own energetic motet Lobet Den Herrn.
The concert takes place in the beautiful Salon in Hobart's Hedberg complex, giving the audience an opportunity for close connection with the musicians.
Allegri Ensemble will present two performances of this exciting program, and seats will be strictly limited.
For many December means Christmas, but for us it is the anticipation of this festive season - which allows us to explore some very beautiful choral repertoire. The Seven Antiphons by Bob Chilcott provide this anticipation, each movement drawing from the beautifully moving “O” Antiphon texts of the 8th century.