Launch of 'Sounds of Christmas from Asia Pacific' album

The Sounds of Christmas from Asia Pacific project is a multilingual and intercultural Christmas song project, showcasing the diverse and creative multicultural and multilingual communities in Sydney.

Supported by City of Sydney, this groundbreaking community music album project features eight Sydney vocalists singing classic Christmas songs in eight Asia Pacific languages: Kiarateuila Lattimore (Samoa), Peter Lazaro (Indonesian), Jinky Marsh (Filipino), Kumi Matsuda (Japanese), Loma Schaaf (Tongan), Radhika Sukumar-White (Tamil), Ruci Tuiwai (Fijian) and Cynthia Su (Mandarin).

The featured songs include O Holy Night (Samoan), What Child Is This (Filipino), O Come All Ye Faithful (Fijian), It Came Upon The Midnight Clear (Indonesian), Silent Night (Tamil), Hark! The Herald The Angels Sing (Japanese), The First Noel (Tongan) and Auld Lang Syne (Mandarin). Significantly, this album project has been produced and recorded during Sydney’s lockdown.

With Christmas now celebrated as a communal year-end public holiday celebration, many people take this time to relax, reflect, leisure and celebrate with their loved ones and community whether they have a religious affiliation or none. For some, Christmas is also a difficult and lonely time, especially for those who are culturally minoritised, those being marginalised for who they are, or separated from their loved ones or community because of their being in this city and country.

The Sounds of Christmas from Asia Pacific album is dedicated to them, reminding them that diverse Sydneysiders who are people of Asia Pacific heritage are an inclusive and affirming community that welcomes them. That regardless of who they are, they matter and that our community embraces you. Through these familiar tunes yet different renditions and multi-languages, these tunes hope to bring them a new perspective and sense of hope and homeliness in Sydney.

Zoom Launch

The launch event is hosted by Equal Voices, and registration is required. Organisations and individuals may wish to purchase the album as a unique Christmas gift for their loved ones and community, pre-sales purchase of the album will be available from the 15th November 2021.

As this is a not-for-profit community development project, there are only limited editions of the Christmas album available. Proceeds from this album will go to seed funding for a subsequent project as well as supporting Mudgin-gal Women’s Place, an Aboriginal women-led organisation supporting vulnerable women and The House of Welcome that shelters, welcomes and empowers people seeking asylum and refugees regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, nationality or religion.

Producers: Kevin Bathman & Benjamin Oh • Musicians: Jeremy Koay, Peter Lazaro, John Hoac & Grace Song • Assistant Producer: Bibiana Peter • Audio Engineer: Karna K. (MillionMasters) • Cover Design & Illustrator: Freda Chiu

We would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land - past, present, and emerging. We acknowledge that we are on Aboriginal land, the traditional owners of Australia from over 500 Indigenous nations and language groups. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.