Sounds for a sky we all share

Wherever we sit on the patchwork of identities that comprises Australia, we all live beneath the same starry skies. In troubled times, it can be inspiring to wait for dusk and just gaze upwards.

In that spirit, Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue is next month staging the first Australian performance of operatic composer Luke Styles’ Custodians Of the Sky.

Combining music, poetry, and soundscapes from Australian stargazing sites, Custodians of the Sky celebrates how different cultures interpret the mysteries of the cosmos and seek meaning under the night sky. Its influences are as diverse as Australian Indigenous cultures, Jewish texts, and ancient Greek mythology.

Custodians of the Sky will be staged in combination with work by 20th century German-born composer Kurt Weill, offering a poignant Jewish perspective on the themes of night, reflection, and belonging. Weil's work evoked ideas about identity, exile, and social justice drawn from his Jewish heritage.

Together, the two works create a rich artistic dialogue on tradition, identity, and connection under the night sky.

Custodians in the Sky is the first initiative of the Emanuel Synagogue Foundation, Foundation, which chair Grant McCorquodale says will host "world-class cultural works", as well as education and social justice initiatives.