I always find it a joy to compose for young voices and if they’re directed by Lyn Williams I know that the music will be brought to life with a special touch of magic. And so, when Lyn invited me to provide a new work for what promises to be a Christmas concert with a difference, I responded with immediate enthusiasm.

Ross Edwards

Ross Edwards. Photo © Bridget Elliot.

My collaborations with Lyn and her choirs include the premiere of my 5th Symphony, The Promised Land, with the Sydney Symphony; Dawn Mantras, in which the Sydney Children’s Choir participated in welcoming the new millennium from the sails and concourse of the Sydney Opera House in a telecast to billions of people around the world; and a more modest sequel, Dawn Canticle, designed for use in the concert hall and commissioned by the Braden family of Sydney. The Bradens and their friends have been kind enough to arrange the commission of my new piece, Miracles.

Each December the Sydney Children’s Choir and members of Gondwana Voices give concerts called Voices of Angels. This year’s focus is on repertoire commemorating the World War I Christmas...