River City Voices

River City Voices (RCV) is Parramatta’s flagship, auditioned 70-voice symphony choir.
Formed in 2018 by western Sydney arts practitioners and led by its exceptional Artistic Director Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith (the AD) the company’s vision is to become a permanent/relevant arts organisation, renowned for its vocal excellence, surprising collaborative artistic programs and events that reflect and engage its diverse community, giving voice to their talents and stories.

Since inception, RCV has engaged over 3,000 artists, arts workers and community members through its activities, breaking barriers, embracing diversity, and building a sustainable future for choral excellence in Parramatta, through programs such as:
– “Welded Voices” a recording project conceived during COVID-19 featuring rearrangements of songs by neurodivergent musicians, resulting in the album ‘What the World Needs’, and live performance filmed and aired by the ABC’s Art Works.
– “Slam Messiah” – an originally conceived chamber iteration of Handel’s Messiah, collaborating with WestWords, and slam poets reciting their new poetry inspired by the Messiah’s text through a contemporary lens.
– “Super Critical Mass Parramatta” – an experimental public participatory workshop/performance event, led by Julian Day, that brought together people of all ages and abilities to create an evocative soundscape within the historic buildings and spaces of Parramatta Gaol.
– “Blue Sky Country Christmas” – a genuinely visionary Christmas concert featuring new/rearranged works by talented Indigenous composers from Ngarra-burria First Peoples Composers Program.
– Classic blockbusters such as Carmina Burana, Mozart Requiem, The Messiah ( all Parramatta premieres) with Australian premieres planned for 2025.

WEBSITE