Our History

The Leichhardt Espresso Chorus began in 1998 when Elizabeth Mulrennan of Norton Street Bookshop decided she wanted to be part of a local choir made up of people who ‘simply wanted to sing’. She put up a notice in her window and before too long ten keen singers signed up. Months later a fledgling group of 22, under the tutelage of Michelle Leonard, performed their first concert at Leichhardt Public School. After some debate about calling themselves ‘Plane Song’ (in honour of the flight path) they decided on ‘Leichhardt Espresso Chorus’, to reflect the local area’s link with caffeine.

In the ten years since, the choir has gone from strength to strength, commencing 2008 with a contingent of 82 members. We’ve sung Christmas Carols on the streets of Balmain and Leichhardt, at the Domain and in the Forum. We’ve recorded CDs, performed in Angel Place and the Sydney Opera House, joined music festivals, performed with countless members of the SSO and joined forces with other choirs including Choralation, Joubert, Polyphony, Mosman Preparatory Boys Choir, Abottsleigh Girls choir and Newtown Performing Arts Choir. We’ve been honoured by the presence of wonderful soloists including Jane Sheldon, Neil Kirkby, Billie McCarthy, Nadia Piave, Belinda Montgomery, Craig Everingham, ABC Classic FMs Damien Beaumont, Madeline Whitmark, Molly Hibbert and Cameron Woodhouse to name a few. We’ve performed classics from Haydn, Mozart, Rutter, Faure and Orff interspersed by new works the choir has commissioned to keep our performances fresh and ever evolving.

The chorus regularly tours regional NSW performing and hosting workshops for school children and to promote community singing among the adults as part of the Moorambilla Festival of Music. Towns visited have included Nyngan, Gilargambone, Bourke, Brewarrina, Barradine, Lightning Ridge, Narrabri, Bingara, Barraba, Mudgee, Coonamble and Gulgong! Many of these regional centres feature fabulous historic concert halls and opera houses - those that don’t host us in bowling clubs and RSL halls!

The Leichhardt Espresso Chorus has commissioned work from a wide range of noted Australian composers including Paul Jarman, Steven Leek, Christopher Gordon, Andrew Shultz, Elena Kats-Chernin and Dan Walker. Read more