Students from across NSW have filled the Sydney Opera House with music this week for the 2026 Festival of Choral Music.

The five-concert series, running from Monday 3 August to Friday 7 August, brought together approximately 3,300 primary choristers from 116 public schools and two regional choirs, alongside hundreds of featured instrumentalists, vocalists and soloists.

More than 650 young performers have taken part each evening in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, the five concert names: Argyle, Australis, Barangaroo, Bennelong and Endeavour drawing on Australian and Sydney history and identity.

The festival, which began in 1947, features primary and secondary students performing in massed choirs, orchestras, concert bands, chamber ensembles, vocal ensembles, jazz and contemporary music groups, and as soloists.

Coordinated by the NSW Department of Education’s Arts Unit, the event coincides with Public Education Week 2026, which celebrates the achievements of NSW public schools and the students, teachers, staff, families and communities who support them.

This year also marks a festival first, with the newly formed North Coast Festival Orchestra becoming the first ensemble based outside metropolitan Sydney to perform a featured item and accompany the combined Festival Choir.

The orchestra comprises 44 musicians from 13 NSW public schools and will appear in the Argyle and Australis concerts on Monday and Tuesday 3 & 4 August.

North Coast Festival Orchestra Music Director, Annie Phelan, said the inaugural Sydney tour was a milestone for the students and the region.

"These 44 young musicians represent 13 public schools and communities across the North Coast, and they have shown enormous commitment to becoming one orchestra," Ms Phelan said.

"The students understand that accompanying a choir is a great responsibility. They need to listen closely, respond to the conductor and support hundreds of singers while also performing confidently as an ensemble.

"This invitation recognises what North Coast students can achieve when talent is identified locally, nurtured by expert teachers and given room to grow."

The program also includes performances by students from groups and schools including the North Sydney Boys High School Symphony Orchestra, Matthew Pearce Public School Senior Band, Sydney North Public Schools Symphonic Band, Hunter Wind Ensemble, Winmalee High School Rock Orchestra, Chatswood High School Senior Vocal Ensemble and Sydney Secondary College Chamber Strings.

Department of Education Arts Unit Student Music Programs Officer, Luke Wallace, said the public education tradition helped students develop musicianship, confidence, discipline, teamwork and a strong sense of belonging.

“The Festival of Choral Music began in 1947 and has provided generations of NSW public school students with opportunities to perform challenging music as part of a major combined choir,” Luke said.

“Over almost eight decades, the festival has continued to evolve while maintaining its central purpose; bringing students together through music and giving young performers access to high-quality repertoire, specialist musical direction and professional performance experiences.

“Participating students have spent much of the year learning specially selected and arranged repertoire in their own schools before joining hundreds of other young singers and musicians for combined rehearsals and performances.

“For many families and teachers, the festival also has an intergenerational connection, with parents, educators and community members recalling their own experiences in NSW public school music programs.”

The Festival of Choral Music is part of the NSW Department of Education’s Inspire High Potential and Gifted Education, supporting students to be challenged and develop their potential in the creative domain. High potential and gifted education recognises that students can demonstrate advanced potential across the creative, intellectual, physical and social-emotional domains.

For Festival of Choral Music participants, this includes learning complex repertoire, working with specialist conductors and musicians, developing advanced ensemble skills and performing under professional concert conditions.

These opportunities demonstrate the role public education plays in identifying student potential and providing the challenge, support and experiences needed for talent to grow.