Sing a new song – a living tradition
- Start: Friday 2 October 2026
- Finish: Monday 5 October 2026
- Where: Adelaide CBD (and close by)
- What: a focus on new voices in living traditions
Adelaide inSpires is a four-day festival of music-making and formation, built around our usual parallel streams – organ, voice, and a third focus area. In 2026, our special focus is on Australian and New Zealand composers and compositions, inviting participants to explore how new music is imagined, shaped and brought to life in worship.
The heart of the festival remains what we do best: learning, preparing and singing a rich round of services across a variety of Christian traditions and denominations, guided by experienced leaders and grounded in practical, hands-on rehearsal. Alongside this, the composing stream will open up the craft behind what we sing – through workshops, shared ideas and opportunities to try things out in real liturgical contexts.
We’re commissioning new works (see below*) – Adelaide inSpires will celebrate both the living tradition and the new voices that will carry it forward.
Six Musical Gems as Centrepieces for Six Liturgies:
- Abendlied (Evening song) – Josef Rheinberger, Op. 69/3
- Plainchant Mass VII – De Angelis
- Creator of the Stars – Tim Mallis
(winner of the 2025 Adelaide Sacred Music Composition Prize) - Ave Maris Stella – Brooke Shelley
- Sing a New Song – John Rotar *
(AiS commission on a new translation of Psalm 98 by Rev’d Dr Matthew Anstey) - Responsorial Psalm 83 [84] – Dorothy Nguyen * (AiS commission)
Five Beautiful Locations from Four Denominations
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Lutheran Vespers, Friday 7pm
- The Church of the Holy Name – Latin Mass, Saturday 8:30am
- Pilgrim Uniting Church – Parish Evensong, Saturday 5pm
- St Peter’s Cathedral – Choral Eucharist & Cathedral Evensong, Sunday 10:30am & 6pm
- St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral – Morning Prayer, Monday 10am
As we finalise details, we will update this – so bookmark this page!
Adelaide inSpires email: AdelaideinSpiresRSCM@gmail.com
Our flyer is below. We also welcome you to download the flyer as a PDF to share via email.
