To Shiver the Sky

Orpheus Choir Wellington is preparing to present To Shiver the Sky, a spectacular contemporary choral work by Grammy Award-winning composer Christopher Tin. Written for choir and orchestra, the piece explores humanity’s long fascination with flight — from early dreams of wings to the moment we reached the Moon. The opening movement, Sogno di Volare, is known around the world as the main theme for the popular video game Civilization VI, bringing Tin’s music to millions of listeners. Drawing on texts by Leonardo da Vinci, Hildegard von Bingen, Amelia Earhart, Jules Verne and John F. Kennedy, the work tells the story of human ambition, curiosity and discovery across centuries. Epic, cinematic and deeply moving, To Shiver the Sky is one of the most exciting contemporary choral works of recent years. With this project, Orpheus Choir Wellington is giving audiences the rare chance to experience this modern masterpiece performed live by a full choir and orchestra, and alongside the timeless masterpiece that is Mozart Requiem.

Orpheus Choir Wellington is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest and most ambitious symphonic choirs, bringing together more than 170 singers from across the Wellington region. Under the direction of Music Director Brent Stewart, and supported by Assistant Conductor Stephen Clothier, the choir performs major choral works with orchestra at the highest level.

For this project we are proud to collaborate with Orchestra Wellington, whose players will bring the rich orchestral score of To Shiver the Sky to life alongside the choir.

Behind the scenes, Orpheus Choir is supported by a dedicated team including our General Manager, volunteer committees, and an active governance board. Together we work to present large-scale choral music to Wellington audiences while creating opportunities for singers and musicians to be part of extraordinary musical experiences.

Producing a concert of this scale involves a budget that is many times greater than the amount we are seeking through this campaign. Orchestras, venues, artists and production all carry significant costs. This Boosted campaign focuses specifically on supporting the presentation of Christopher Tin’s To Shiver the Sky, which comes with additional expenses associated with programming contemporary music.

Funds raised will help cover:

• Hire of the orchestral and choral scores required to perform To Shiver the Sky
• International shipping of the music materials from Australia to Wellington
• Surtitles for the performance, allowing audiences to follow the wide range of languages and texts featured in the work

These costs are essential to bringing this extraordinary modern work to life. By supporting this campaign, you are helping us share the music of a living composer and give Wellington audiences the rare opportunity to experience To Shiver the Sky performed live by choir and orchestra.

With this project, Orpheus Choir Wellington is bringing Christopher Tin’s To Shiver the Sky to Wellington audiences as part of a major concert event celebrating both classical tradition and contemporary creativity.

To Shiver the Sky is a powerful modern work for choir and orchestra that explores humanity’s enduring fascination with flight — from imagined wings to the space age. Its sweeping musical language and diverse texts create a vivid narrative of curiosity, courage and discovery. While the opening movement Sogno di Volare has reached millions of listeners through the video game Civilization VI, hearing the work performed live by a full choir and orchestra is a rare and thrilling experience.

We believe audiences are ready to encounter new choral repertoire alongside the great classics. By presenting this work in Wellington, we are expanding the choral landscape, supporting living composers, and giving our community the chance to experience an ambitious contemporary work performed at scale.

Your support will help make this possible.

Large-scale contemporary works for choir and orchestra are rarely performed live because the costs involved can be prohibitive. From grand rights to music hire and specialised production requirements, presenting new repertoire at this scale is a significant undertaking for any arts organisation.

That’s exactly why this project matters.

To Shiver the Sky is a powerful, uplifting work that speaks to humanity’s enduring spirit of curiosity and discovery. While many people may recognise its opening movement Sogno di Volare from the video game Civilization VI, experiencing the music performed live by more than 170 voices and full orchestra is something entirely different — immersive, thrilling, and deeply moving.

By backing this campaign, you are helping bring a remarkable contemporary work to the stage in Wellington. Your support helps ensure audiences here can experience new music at the same scale and ambition as the great choral masterpieces of the past.