Singing with Barayagal Choir: a joy and a privilege - May 2025

When I joined the Barayagal Choir in August 2024, I didn’t expect it to be such a transformative experience. Encouraged by two friends who spoke of it in glowing terms, I tentatively asked if I could join — and from the very first practice, I knew I had found my tribe.

Barayagal is led by the brilliant Yuwaalaraay storyteller and musician Nardi Simpson. Rooted in Country, culture and connection, the choir is shaped by her compositions and stories — rich with cultural knowledge, continuity and togetherness. Who can’t love the melody and lyrics of You Gotta Know or My favourite Tree?

Alongside Nardi is the equally amazing jazz maestro Kevin Hunt. Together they bring out the best in every singer, whether experienced or brand new. Their warmth, skill, and generosity have created a space where all voices are welcome and whose hearts are lifted every week. As Kevin writes ‘Barayagal sings to the place we are in and to the places we all come from.’ Adding further richness are the talented student musicians from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, who bring depth and flair to the choir’s unique sound.

The word ‘barayagal’ was coined by Nardi and Indigenous linguist Dr Jakelin Troy. It means ‘Sydney sings’ with ‘baraya’ meaning to sing and ‘gal’ connecting the singing to the lands of the Sydney area. Cultural permission to name the choir Barayagal was given by The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Our performances have been as diverse as they are powerful. We sang at the launch of a new plane at Bankstown Airport with Soar — a song of spirit and uplift. In February 2025, we travelled to Parliament House in Canberra to perform at the 17th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. Singing The Old Ones — ‘to the ones that we come from’ — after hearing stories from Stolen Generations members was a profoundly moving moment none of us will forget.

In April 2025, ten lucky choir members climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and sang Solid Rock with Shane Howard — an iconic 1982 anthem now marking Reconciliation Week 2025 as well as the 25th anniversary of the Walk for Reconciliation when 250,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a powerful display of national unity and hope.

Singing about truth and injustice — ‘Solid Rock. Standin’ on sacred ground’ — was an incredibly emotional experience that reminded us of the power of music to connect as well as the long journey still ahead of reconciliation. The song’s origins are equally powerful: after a 10-day camping trip around Uluru, Shane was moved by the injustices faced by many First Nations Peoples and felt compelled to raise awareness about land rights. It holds true over 40 years later.

Barayagal is more than a choir — it’s a movement of connection, healing, and joy. It’s a privilege to belong to this community. Thank you Barayagal! Or as Nardi says: Deadly!

Photos - Top: Choir performing at Parliament House in Feb 2025 at the annual National Apology to the Stolen Generations. (photo courtesy of the Governor General’s FB page)

Bottom: Choir with Shane Howard atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge after performing Solid Rock, April 2025 (photo Bridgeclimb/Reconciliation Australia)