For more than 70 years, Canberra Choral Society has inspired audiences and nurtured singers through high-quality choral performance, education, and collaboration.

This AusArt Day we’re inviting our community to help us create something truly special — a new Australian choral work that will celebrate 75 years of CCS and 100 years of Old Parliament House and strengthen Canberra’s cultural voice.

Our goal: $12,000 — will contribute to the composer’s fee to commission Sally Whitwell.
Why now: With your help, the work will be premiered in 2027 and added to the national choral repertoire.
Your impact: Every gift, large or small, directly contributes to new Australian music. Every donor will be acknowledged in a concert program.

Donation levels:

$50 = provides score copies for the choir
$100 = supports rehearsal workshops with the composer
$250 = invests in creating a lasting Australian composition
$500 = funds the commission directly
$1,000 = major donor recognition in the score and in the concert program.

Voices in the House

On 22 October 2026, join us for AusArt Day — a national day of giving to the arts.

Help Canberra Choral Society commission a major new work by acclaimed Australian composer Sally Whitwell, celebrating 75 years of CCS and 100 years of Old Parliament House.

In 2027, Canberra Choral Society will celebrate its 75th anniversary, while Old Parliament House marks 100 years since its opening.

To commemorate these two significant Canberra anniversaries, CCS is commissioning a new choral work from award-winning Australian composer Sally Whitwell, for a proposed premiere in King’s Hall at the Museum of Australian Democracy in September 2027.

Sally is also exploring a collaboration with Tim the Yowie Man, bringing together music, storytelling and a distinctly Canberra perspective in a work inspired by Old Parliament House, its history and its place in Australia’s democratic life.

The project also gives CCS an opportunity to champion the work of a leading contemporary Australian woman composer. Historically, concert repertoire has overwhelmingly represented the work of male composers. This commission will help create something new: an Australian choral work grounded in Canberra, written for today’s audiences and designed to live beyond its premiere.

Your gift today helps create lasting Australian music that celebrates our city’s voice and connects community through song.

Together, we can make this new music possible

Please Donate Today

Canberra Choral Society is registered as a Charity for the Advancement of Culture with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR).