Celebrate 20 Years Of Song At This Year’s Festival of Voices
Hobart’s original winter festival - Festival of Voices - first brought the Tasmanian community together through song in 2005. This year, the country’s premier singing festival celebrates 20 years … and you’re invited to the birthday party!
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Kicking off on Friday 27 June, Festival of Voices 2025 will bring the sing to Hobart and regional Tasmania over two harmony-heavy weeks. Marking its 20th anniversary, the festival returns with the same uplifting energy that’s made it a beloved winter antidote, inviting locals and visitors to embrace the cold – and the joy of song.
We chatted with Festival of Voice’s Al McCormack for her top picks across the festival’s diverse line-up of talent, performances and interactive experiences. But, with more than 60 individual events up for grabs, heed fair warning: herein, a tantalising taster that’s by no means exhaustive. For the full program and your opportunity to be part of the festival’s special celebration of its heritage and legacy, check out the Festival of Voices website.
Festival of Voices’ Al McCormack (image: Wilkography)
AL MCCORMACK’S FESTIVAL OF VOICES 2025 TOP PICKS
CHORAL
Verdi Requiem
“Verdi’s Requiem is considered a choral masterwork, and it takes an enormous amount of work, time, resources and people to be able to perform it,” Al says. “We have the incredible conductor David Lawrence travelling out from the UK to lead a multi-day workshop, culminating in the performance of this dramatic and well-known work.”
A collaboration with the world-renowned Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, this will be the first professional performance of the masterwork in Hobart since 1978, and Lawrence’s sixth visit to the Festival of Voices.
Saturday 5 July, 7:30pm
Hobart City Hall
CONTEMPORARY
HAYA Band: Migration
Festival of Voices 2025 will see HAYA Band make its Australian debut, bringing together the group’s Mongolian heritage with contemporary world music influences to create a unique sound that has earned cult status in China and Taiwan.
“With extraordinary vocals from lead singer Daiqing Tana, and traditional Mongolian instruments and throat singing, this is going to be a really unique and special experience - there’s nothing else like it,” Al says.
Saturday 5 July, 7:30pm
Theatre Royal
HAYA Band (image: Festival of Voices)
SINGALONG
Bangers and Mash Ups
A sell-out debut at the Adelaide Fringe Festival last year gives you a good idea of what to expect at this two-hour all-in karaoke session, and the lure of power ballads, rock anthems and disco hits from their most iconic respective eras just about does the rest.
“Bangers and Mash Ups is a casual, fun singalong that makes it hard not to join in with all of the songs that you know and love,” Al says. “Led by the wonderful Jacqueline Larsen, and supported by her choir Soul Song, the track list promises to have something for everyone.”
Saturday 28 June, 7:30pm
Hobart City Hall
Bangers and Mashups (image: Festival of Voices)
WORKSHOP
Salama: Réunionese Creole Children’s Show
Created especially for kids, this culturally rich session with international ensemble Salama will have your littlest lyricists singing, moving and drumming their way through the joyful rhythms of the Maloya music genre.
“Salama is bringing their unique music and dance culture to Hobart from Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean,” Al says. “The Maloya genre is a symbol of freedom, identity and cultural pride, and this is a rare opportunity for young people to experience a fun and educational musical journey through tradition and culture.”
Saturday 28 June, 2pm
Moonah Arts Centre
Salama (image: Festival of Voices)
REGIONAL
Painted in Dirt - New Norfolk, Devonport and Launceston
Renowned national choir The Australian Voices will take their show on the Tasmanian road, performing an immersive soundscape of contemporary choral music across New Norfolk, Devonport and Launceston. Led by John Rotar - who also wrote some of the compositions - the decades-old choir will be supported by regional choirs local to each stop.
“The Australian Voices’ road trip series will see them interweave some of the country’s best choral voices with sounds from the Australian bush,” Al says. “It’s a bit quirky, and a really beautiful way for our regional choirs to collaborate with a group of this calibre.”
Monday 30 June, 6pm, St Matthews Anglican Church, New Norfolk
Wednesday 2 July, 6pm, Lifeway Baptist Church, Devonport
Thursday 3 July, 6pm, St John’s Anglican Church, Launceston
FAMILY FRIENDLY
The Big Sing
“We’re so proud to be celebrating 20 years of inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability at Festival of Voices 2025, and nowhere are those values more apparent than at The Big Sing,” Al says. “It’s our largest free community event where all are welcome, and it’s totally up to you whether you get up and dance the night away, or sit back with a glass of wine and just soak up the vibes.”
An annual stalwart of the festival, this year’s iteration of The Big Sing will be hosted by local musical theatre legend John O’Hara, and feature performances from a diverse line-up including country music star Beccy Cole, Tasmanian singer-songwriter Monique Brumby, comedian and songstress Michelle Brasier, and more. The celebratory event, which also serves as an opener to the festival and a snapshot of what’s to come, will culminate in this year’s Singalong Big Sing Song - none other than John Farnham’s You’re The Voice.
Friday 27 June, 5pm
Princes Wharf No. 1
The Big Sing (image: Alastair Bett)
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