For the beauty of the Earth

Engaging all the senses is a new evening event series from Musica Viva that will vibrate with light and music in equal measure! A multitude of light-energy waves pulse around us — reflecting and refracting, glowing and shimmering. The plant-world boasts flowers in every colour of the visible spectrum, and beyond into a mysterious world beyond human perception.

To celebrate this beauty, the first Musica Viva Session: For the Beauty of the Earth will be presented in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. This sold out performance on Wednesday 16 February is supported by Inspiring Australia NSW and will take place against the backdrop of The Calyx, home to the largest and most spectacular vertical floral walls in the southern hemisphere.

In celebration of the natural beauty that surrounds us, Vocal Detour, a newly formed ensemble of five passionate and highly experienced musicians, will take the audience on a journey of enchantment and reflection through the songs of Finzi, Hindemith and Wesley-Smith.

Every flower is a machine designed for reproduction and survival: competing for attention, they signal brazenly using colour, shape and scent. It can be a challenge to stand out in this gorgeous crowd, but every flower has its own unique charm.

Prior to the performance, horticulturist and historian, Paul Nicholson, will lead a guided journey through this breath-taking world of light and colour and, along the way, introduce audience members to some of the gems of the Royal Botanic Garden plant collection, including those featured at the inBLOOM@Calyx exhibition.

They will discover the amazing three-way relationship of the plant (Myrmecodia beccarii), the ant and the butterfly. Depicting the interconnectedness of the living world, as each depends on the other for survival in Australia’s wet tropics rainforest.

For the Beauty of the Earth will also present a rare opportunity to see some of the Garden’s orchid collection on show. The world’s second largest family of flowering plants, orchids, use colour, shape, smell and deceit to lure insects and animals to do their bidding. Find out how they use sex and death in the pursuit of pollination.

Event details*

When: 6.30pm – 8pm, Wednesday 16 February
Where: The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

Register to attend

* This event is sold out.

The first 2021 Musica Viva Session:For the Beauty of the Earth is a collaboration between the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Science and Education team and Musica Viva. It is funded by the NSW Government, with generous support from Inspiring Australia.