The Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia Orchestra will form Orchestra For Life, conducted by Roger Benedict for this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day to raise awareness and funds for Indigenous mental health.
According to Life in Mind, the largest suicide gap is between Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people, with the suicide rate for 15-19 year old Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being four times higher than non-Indigenous young people.
The concert is in partnership with Suicide Prevention Australia and all profits will go to the Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Health Mental Health and the Dr Tracy Westerman Aboriginal Psychology Scholarship Program.
Njamal woman Dr Tracy Westerman has trained more than 25,000 clinicians on the ways it’s culturally appropriate to address mental health issues for Indigenous communities, and will be a guest speaker at the concert. She aims to continue this work with her scholarship that will help eligible Indigenous students become psychologists and use their skills in their communities.
On stage you will hear from Australian piano soloist Simon Tedeschi and the Sydney Children’s Choir, conducted by Sam Allchurch. The set list includes Ravel’s ‘Pavane’, Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, and Bizet’s ‘Carmen Suite no.1’.
Lock down your tickets for September 10, with the profits supporting Indigenous mental health. You can also make a donation before the concert at the Australian Cultural Fund project page.