Emma Donovan with special guest Radical Son
20 October 2023
Bringing her celebrated fusion of classic soul, roots and Indigenous songcraft to the Joan Sutherland Theatre, ARIA-nominated icon Emma Donovan makes her headlining debut at the Sydney Opera House.
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Date |
Time |
|
Friday 20 October |
8pm |
|
Ticket |
Price |
|
Premium |
$39.00 |
|
A Reserve |
$35.00 |
|
B Reserve *Restricted viewing |
$30.00 |
50th Birthday Multipacks
|
Buy 2 Performances |
Price |
|
Premium |
$35.10 |
|
A Reserve |
$31.50 |
|
Buy 3+ Performances |
|
|
Premium |
$33.15 |
|
A Reserve |
$29.75 |
|
Mob Tix Discounted tickets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and community groups. |
$18 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 20 June 2023
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 21 June 2023
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Monday 26 June 2023
Run time
The duration of this event is yet to be confirmed.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Suitable for all ages.
Performance may contain the use of strobe lighting and smoke machines.
The MonthlyAn ambitious depth of feeling, both lyrically and musically.
Also on this page
Seating map
A First Nations music icon makes her Opera House headline debut
Fresh from her electrifying performance in ARETHA, Australia’s very own soul and roots icon Emma Donovan returns with an all-new band to the Sydney Opera House, premiering her forthcoming, country-flavoured sound in her headline debut show at the Joan Sutherland Theatre.
The celebrated Indigenous singer and songwriter has been sharing her stories and songs for more than 20 years, fusing the power of classic American R&B, soul and country with the unique cultural perspective of her Noongar and Gumbaynggirr ancestry. Along the way, she has collaborated with the legendary likes of Paul Kelly, Christine Anu, Yothu Yindi, Uncle Archie Roach, Aunty Ruby Hunter, and many more.
Donovan is best known for her work in the Black Arm Band, a project dedicated to iconic songs of the Aboriginal resistance movement, and as the lead singer for Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks, a collaboration that drew upon their shared love of American soul and the protest songs of Indigenous Australia. Driven by Donovan’s powerful voice and richly layered storytelling, The Putbacks won consecutive AIR Awards for Best Soul/R&B album for 2021’s Crossover and last year’s irresistibly funky Under These Streets, while both received nominations for ARIA awards and the prestigious Australian Music Prize. She’s currently at work on a forthcoming country album, due for release next year.
This program is proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative
From the Kamilaroi nation of Australia and the South Pacific nation of Tonga, Radical Son is a strong man with a stronger stage presence and a mesmerising voice that at once seduces the soul and hits the heart.
Radical Son has recently shared his soul-shaking new single, 'Elder', offering a deeply powerful statement of devotion to country, his Kamilaroi and Tongan cultures and his iron-willed intention to endure that sets neck hairs on end.
Radical Son is part of the long story. “I wish to be an elder, an old man on this land,” he sings in a voice so immense it seems to emanate from the rock beneath his feet.
Elder is the first taste of Biliyambil (The Learning), the highly anticipated second album by Radical Son, aka David Leha – which will also feature David Bridie, Emma Donovan and Jida Gulpilil, set for release on David Bridie’s Wantok label in September. 'Elder' is the keynote to the album’s themes of hard-won survival, belonging and acquiring wisdom from life experience. It’s a song sung from mountaintops, loaded with a storied past and fully facing the future.
Radical Son's first album, Cause 'N Affect, enjoyed high rotation on Australian national broadcast radio ABC Triple J and Double J and was nominated for both Best Music Video (Human Behaviour) and Best Cover Art (Cause ‘N Affect) at the National Indigenous Music Awards, for which they won the award for best cover art.
With his huge, soulful voice and compelling presence, Radical Son has stunned audiences at festivals and shows around the country, including Byron Bluesfest, Vivid Sydney, Melbourne’s Myer Music Bowl and Port Fairy Folk Festival.
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Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see their website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We encourage you to wear a mask in indoor settings or when physical distancing can’t be maintained, and please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of everyone on site, and we are closely following NSW Health guidelines and advice. The Sydney Opera House is registered as a COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you when visiting, please see our plan your visit page.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
As you move around the Opera House, practise physical distancing (1.5 metres whenever possible) and follow the guidance provided by our staff and signage.
Within venues, always take your allocated seat.
For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
Contact information is required when making a booking with us and upon arrival at the Opera House, as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events and our Customer Privacy Statement.
As the ticket purchaser, you are responsible for recording the contact details of your guests. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of contact tracing, if required, and will be deleted at least 28 days after your event.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House will become a smoke-free site from Saturday 1 January 2022.
By becoming a smoke-free site, the Opera House seeks to reduce exposure to harmful second-hand smoke, as well as minimise the impact of smoking on the environment, including litter and pollution of the surrounding marine environment.
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