Sarah Hopkins

Sarah Hopkins is a unique Australian composer-performer, highly acclaimed for her visionary music and inspiring performances for cello, harmonic overtone singing, handbells, choir and the celestial Harmonic Whirlies of her own creation. With a strong background and training in classical music, over the years she has moved into the realm of holistic music and developed a very distinctive compositional voice. Her solo, ensemble, choral and orchestral compositions demonstrate an expansive and pure musical style which resonates with the space and energy of the Australian landscape as well as the inner landscape of the human psyche. Hopkins' most well known works are Past Life Melodies for a cappella choir, Honour the Earth as your Mother for choir, orchestra & didgeridoo, & Reclaiming the Spirit for ensemble with harmonic whirly. Past Life Melodies is currently the most performed Australian choral piece in the USA & has become a standard repertoire piece for many choirs around the world. Past Life Melodies & Honour the Earth as your Mother were performed at the Woodford Folk Festivals (Qld) in 2004 & 2006 to audiences of over 30,000 people. In 2003 & 2005 Hopkins was commissioned by the Queensland Music Festival to compose two 30 minute works for choir & orchestra: Childers Shining (2003) & Childers Shining: One World (2005). Both productions received standing ovations from the entire audience. Hopkins has since been honoured by having a new rural housing estate near Childers named after her composition Childers Shining. Hopkins lives in Brisbane and tours both nationally and internationally, performing her own music, running workshops in Harmonic Overtone Singing and Music for the Heart & Soul, and working as an artist-in-residence. Since 1981 she has represented Australia at prestigious events in America, Europe and South East Asia and has toured extensively as a cultural ambassador for the Australian Government. Highlights include: World Expo 2000, Germany; Opening Ceremony of the 4th World Athletic Championships, Germany; Millennium Concert, New Zealand; & Singapore Arts Festival (2006). Hopkins's Sky Song music, co-composed with Alan Lamb, was featured on Australia's Olympic 2000 bid CD. Sarah's Harmonic Whirlies – beautiful musical instruments and powerful vibrational healing tools – are available worldwide along with her CD recordings Honour the Earth, Reclaiming the Spirit, Shining, Sky Song (with Alan Lamb): Australia: Sound of the Earth (with Steve Roach and David Hudson); and Sounds of Global Harmony (a unique collaboration with the Gyuto Monks of Tibet, Anne Norman and Chris Neville). Hopkins's music is published by Morton Music & Music for the Soul. She is a represented composer of the Australian Music Centre Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.