Join the Collegium Musicum Choir for its final concert of the year. With concert pianist Ying Ho, cellist Paul Stender, and soloists from the UNSW choral program, this immersive program invites audiences to travel through landscapes both real and imagined, discovering how music can deepen our connection to nature and renew our sense of wonder.

Reena Esmail’s Sŭnāō (“sing for me” or “tell me”) explores curiosity and connection through the use of vowels, onomatopoeia and rhythmic ideas. Drawing on Hindi/Urdu language and concepts, the work encourages listeners to approach new experiences with an open mind.

Sarah Quartel’s A Winter Day offers a vivid portrait of a snowy and icy winter, inspired by the Canadian landscapes the composer calls home. Each movement represents a different time of day, from the stillness before dawn, through the joy of playing in deep snow, until darkness and stillness return once more.

At the heart of the programme is Anne Dudley’s One Touch of Nature, inspired by Shakespeare’s observation that “one touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” Drawing on texts from poets including Keats, Byron, Tagore, and John Burroughs, the work reflects on humanity’s fractured relationship with nature while celebrating its extraordinary power for renewal.

Appearing also in this program, UNSW's chamber choir Corde will perform Five Flower Songs by Benjamin Britten, along with the premiere of the Juvenis Corde Prize 2026 winning piece, The Turtle and the Moon by Hugo Ceran-Jerusalemy.

Corde:

BRITTEN Five Flower Songs

CERAN-JERUSALEMY The Turtle and the Moon

Collegium Musicum Choir:

ESMAIL Sŭnāō

QUARTEL A Winter Day

DUDLEY One Touch of Nature

Sonia Maddock, Choral Director and Conductor 

Paul Stender, cello 

Ying Ho, piano 

Soloists from UNSW Choral program

Ying Ho

Ying Ho is an award-winning concert pianist who has performed across Australia, Europe, Asia and America. At home in Sydney, she appears regularly at the country's leading venues, including the Sydney Opera House, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician.

Trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the Universität der Künste in Berlin and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, she has shared the stage with many of the finest artists in Australia and abroad.

Paul Stender

Since returning to Australia in 2009, Paul has established a diverse performing career, working regularly with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Australian Chamber Orchestra as well as guest principal cello engagements with Opera Australia Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia and ACO Collective.

A keen chamber musician, Paul has appeared with numerous smaller ensembles including Australia Ensemble and Sydney Art Quartet. Paul is currently principal cellist with Omega Ensemble with which he maintains a busy performing, touring and recording schedule. Paul completed his Bachelor of Music with David Pereira at the Canberra School of Music before moving to Austria to continue his studies with Vienna Philharmonic principal Wolfgang Herzer at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien.

Collegium Musicum Choir 

UNSW's 100-voice choir known as the Collegium Musicum Choir was founded in 1975 by Professor Roger Covell and Dr Patricia Brown and has a long tradition of performing choral-orchestral works and Christmas programs at UNSW to a semi-professional standard. For the past two decades, choral director, Sonia Maddock has led the ensemble's annual program. The choir's membership includes undergraduate students from across the university, as well as postgraduates, staff and members of the community.