Big Sing McLaren Vale 2026
Origins of the Universe, of Life, of Species, of Humanity
Nicholas Buc | Composer & Conductor
Jenny Graves & Leigh Hay | Librettists
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Big Sing Chorus with Graduate Singers
Soprano: Desiree Frahn
Contralto: Liane Keegan
Tenor: Robert Macfarlane
Bass: Adrian Tamburini
The Origins Film
Big Sing provides an annual platform for choristers to join a massed choir to rehearse and perform alongside professional musicians, creating not just a concert, but a powerful shared experience singing the best loved classical choral works with a symphony orchestra.
For 2026, we are thrilled to present our most ambitious project to date in partnership with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
Conceived by evolutionary geneticist Jenny Graves, who co-wrote the libretto with poet Leigh Hay, ORIGINS of the Universe, of Life, of Species, of Humanity celebrates the beautiful science of our origins from the Big Bang to the emergence of our fragile humanity.
In this major new oratorio by Nicholas Buc, combined with compelling big screen images, Origins conjures themes of love for our planet and its fragile life forms, joy at the inventiveness of nature, and alarm at the self-inflicted dangers faced by humanity.
Origins is presented by arrangement with Heidelberg Choral Society, who premiered the work at the Melbourne Recital Centre in 2023.
Image Credits: NASA image: James Webb Space Telescope; Webb’s First Deep Field; Galaxy Cluster SMACS 073; Western Lowland Gorilla: Anup Shah via Getty Images
