NSW public school students perform at Sydney Opera House

Nearly 200 students from the Central West region of New South Wales performed at the Sydney Opera House as part of the 2026 Festival of Choral Music. Held from August 3 to 7 during Public Education Week, the festival featured more than 3,700 NSW public school students across five concerts in the iconic Concert Hall.

Orange Public School provided the largest single-school contingent with 57 students. Other participating schools included Parkes Public, Cudgegong Valley Public, Gulgong Public, Raglan Public, Bathurst Public, and Bathurst West Public. Additionally, students from Murrumburrah High School, including Nirvana Griffiths, Kiralee Porter, and Ella Blundell, were selected to perform with the NSW Public Schools State Choir.

The festival, a tradition dating back to 1947, included approximately 3,300 primary choristers from 116 public schools and two regional choirs, alongside various instrumentalists and vocalists. Luke Wallace of the NSW Department of Education Arts Unit noted that the program aims to help students develop musicianship, confidence, and teamwork.