Universal Woman

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra celebrates the remarkable creative achievements of Hildegard von Bingen, the twelfth-century polymath whose life story and body of work continue to resonate through the ages.  

Hildegard was a visionary and entrepreneurial German abbess who travelled widely as a linguist, mystic, scholar, naturalist, scientist, philosopher, poet and a composer. Nine centuries after her death, Universal Woman pays tribute to this iconic trailblazer with a moving and thought-provoking program curated by the orchestra’s celebrated artistic director, Paul Dyer.  

The program also features a selection of Hildegard’s own songs and poems, narrated live by a prominent Australian actor.  

A Sydney Festival exclusive, Universal Woman takes place inside the spine-tingling acoustics of St Mary's Cathedral Crypt, with five performances led by singers from the Brandenburg Choir as well as the Brandenburg musicians on period instruments.

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