Music at the Basilicas 9th Festival of Sacred Music will open with a performance of Vaughan Williams, Five Mystical Songs and Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilias Day by the Windfire choir, conducted by Rick Prakhoff with soloists and an instrumental ensemble.

Saturdays program will begin with two workshops, the first will be ‘Running with Zithers’ with Angelika Smales, where participants will learn how to play a zither; the second will be ‘Laudes Deo’ an introduction to Chant. Participants will learn about the different types of chant and will be able to participate in singing these chants.

The first of the Saturday concerts will be at All Saints in Newtown, where Vocal Dimension, a 20 voice choir from Wangaratta, will delight with choral favourites. In the second concert, Thomas Heywood will put the newly refurbished organ at Pauls, Geelong through its paces.

Sunday 7 May will begin with sung Mass at St. Marys Basilica. Stay at the Basilica for a concert of chants sung by e21, a male-voice ensemble.

The final concert will be at Wesley Church, where Ensemble 642 will perform works for harp, theorbo and voice