Where Song Began - A cinematic concert celebrating Australia's birds - Launceston

Tickets from just $5 for children and $30 for adults!

Described as 'spectacular' by Limelight Magazine in a 5-star review, Where Song Began is an iconic celebration of songbirds. The mesmerising program of music spans 300 years, from Bach and Schmelzer to Arvo Pärt and new commissions, enhanced by a film of evocative visual projections and immersive soundscapes.

Performed more than 100 times throughout Australia and internationally to rave reviews, this concert in Launceston celebrates the 125th birthday of BirdLife Australia. The Bowerbird Collective performed their work 'Life on Land's Edge' to a sold out Earl Arts Centre in June 2025.

Where Song Began offers audiences an unforgettable and deeply moving evening filled with the beauty, colour and sounds of the Australian landscape. Brought to life by virtuosic, passionate performers with extraordinary multimedia staging, this concert shines a light on our unique and precious birdlife and the evolution of song.

"A delicate and beautiful fusion"
"Like being sung to by the country"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Limelight

About the performers:

The Bowerbird Collective makes art for nature. Their work has received international acclaim, and earned an APRA AMCOS Luminary Award in 2024. Their ARIA-nominated albums of threatened bird, frog and mammal calls, 'Songs of Disappearance', reached the top of the ARIA Album Charts ahead of Adele, ABBA and Ed Sheeran. Violinist Simone Slattery holds a PhD in Music Performance, has been awarded Churchill, Create SA and ANAM Ian Potter Fellowships, and performs regularly with Australia's finest ensembles. Cellist Anthony Albrecht was Australia's first graduate of The Juilliard School's Historical Performance program, holds a PhD in Conservation Biology, and enjoys an international performance career. www.bowerbirdcollective.org

Program:

Arvo Pärt - Fratres for solo violin, 1977

Sarah Hopkins - Reclaiming the Spirit, 1993

Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending, 1917

Chris Williams - bird, songs, seas, 2017

Ross Edwards - Ecstatic Dance No.2, 1990

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer - Cucu Sonata, 1664

J.S. Bach - Prelude from Cello Suite No.1, c.1720

David Lang - Anthochaera carunculata (Red Wattle Bird), New Commission, 2017

Ngarra Burra Ferra - Traditional Indigenous hymn 

50 minutes without interval, followed by a short Q&A