BANKSTOWN ARTS CENTRE UNVEILS PROGRAM FOR SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2026: TENZIN CHOEGYAL AND SISA-SISA
Bankstown Arts Centre is proud to present two bold and captivating new works for Sydney Festival’s 50th anniversary in 2026, extending the reach of one of Australia’s most vibrant arts festivals to Western Sydney.
Venue: Bankstown Arts Centre
Address: 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown NSW 2200
Date: 16 January, 17 January, 18 January, 23 January, 24 January
Buy / Ticket: https://www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/
Web: https://www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/
EMail: artscentre@cbcity.nsw.gov.au
Call: 02 9707 5400
Address: 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown NSW 2200
Date: 16 January, 17 January, 18 January, 23 January, 24 January
Buy / Ticket: https://www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/
Web: https://www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/
EMail: artscentre@cbcity.nsw.gov.au
Call: 02 9707 5400
Inviting audiences to celebrate the beauty of diverse and accessible art, Bankstown Arts Centre presents performances from Grammy and ARIA -nominated Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 January in collaboration with rising Western Sydney electronic musician Wytchings, as well as a workshop on Sunday 18 January, followed by the world premiere of a moving double bill contemporary solo dance work Sisa-Sisa on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 January.
Bankstown Arts Centre Director, Rachael Kiang said: “We are pleased to partner with Sydney Festival in a co-programming capacity for the first time, identifying Western Sydney talent in music and dance for a much loved, international platform.
“In pairing Tenzin Choegyal, an internationally celebrated musician, with an emerging star Wytchings, we create for audiences, a musical experience of intergenerational and cross-genre possibilities. A wonderful collaboration with Sydney Festival Director Kris Nelson has given us the opportunity to commission two new solo dance works by Campsie-based choreographers and dancers, Alfira O’Sullivan and Murtala.”
Acknowledged as one of the world's finest musicians in the Tibetan tradition, Tenzin’s cantering rhythms, soaring vocals and sublime flute solos have thrilled audiences around the globe and established him as a favourite on the world music scene. Tenzin’s performance is equal parts folk storytelling, sonic meditation and spiritual offering, infused with the essence of Tibetan wisdom and a sound as expansive as the Himalayas.
Tenzin Choegyal will perform alongside fellow Tibetan musician Tenzin Kunsang on Friday 16 January, with these master music makers leading a workshop on Tibetan-style singing, traditional instruments, songwriting and storytelling through music on Sunday 18 January.
On Saturday 17 January, Tenzin will be joined by Yagoona-based creative Jenny Trinh (Wytchings) to perform their new co-creation, Between Two Realms. Inspired by the concept of Bardo (the liminal state between death and rebirth) and featuring Tenzin’s soaring vocals, unique instrumentations and spoken word, along with Wytchings’ hauntingly beautiful soundscapes, this performance blends structured sounds with spontaneous elements.
Alfira O’Sullivan is the founder and artistic director of Suara Indonesia Dance Group and works alongside Murtala, as choreographer to preserve traditional and folkloric dances as well as create new works based on traditional movements.
In Gelumbang Raya, Murtala retraces his time as a volunteer in the aftermath of the 2004 Aceh tsunami, where he spent months pulling bodies from the earth. Through movement and story, he transforms trauma, migration and resilience into a shared act of remembrance and belonging.
In Jejak & Bisik, Alfira alchemises cultural silences around fertility, perimenopause and the shifting female body, exploring the realities as woman, mother and ageing dancer. Weaving body percussion, soulful song, spoken word and culturally informed movement, she turns private memory into collective ritual.
Together, these works, complete with a score by Gondrong Gunarto, resonate as a raw, poetic meditation on the frailties and strengths of human memory, survival and identity, asking: what traces remain when we endure the unendurable?
More information about the performances can be found at: www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/tenzin-choegyal and www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/sisa-sisa.
Tenzin Choegyal with Tenzin Kunsang
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Date & time: Friday 16 January 7:30pm
Price: Full Price $39 | Concession $33
Tenzin Choegyal with Wytchings
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Date & time: Saturday 17 January 7:30pm
Price: Full Price $39 | Concession $33
Musicians' Workshop with Tenzin Choegyal and Tenzin Kunsang
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Date & time: Sunday 18 January 2pm
Price: Full Price $29 | Concession and Child 16 & under $25
Sisa-Sisa
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Dates: Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 January
Price: Standard $39 | Concession $33
Bankstown Arts Centre Director, Rachael Kiang said: “We are pleased to partner with Sydney Festival in a co-programming capacity for the first time, identifying Western Sydney talent in music and dance for a much loved, international platform.
“In pairing Tenzin Choegyal, an internationally celebrated musician, with an emerging star Wytchings, we create for audiences, a musical experience of intergenerational and cross-genre possibilities. A wonderful collaboration with Sydney Festival Director Kris Nelson has given us the opportunity to commission two new solo dance works by Campsie-based choreographers and dancers, Alfira O’Sullivan and Murtala.”
TENZIN CHOEGYAL
Tenzin Choegyal will be bringing two nights of ethereal beauty to Bankstown Arts Centre, in a blend of song, sound and spirit. Choegyal has performed around the world at major venues like New York’s Carnegie Hall, and will now bring soaring melodies to Bankstown Arts Centre.Acknowledged as one of the world's finest musicians in the Tibetan tradition, Tenzin’s cantering rhythms, soaring vocals and sublime flute solos have thrilled audiences around the globe and established him as a favourite on the world music scene. Tenzin’s performance is equal parts folk storytelling, sonic meditation and spiritual offering, infused with the essence of Tibetan wisdom and a sound as expansive as the Himalayas.
Tenzin Choegyal will perform alongside fellow Tibetan musician Tenzin Kunsang on Friday 16 January, with these master music makers leading a workshop on Tibetan-style singing, traditional instruments, songwriting and storytelling through music on Sunday 18 January.
On Saturday 17 January, Tenzin will be joined by Yagoona-based creative Jenny Trinh (Wytchings) to perform their new co-creation, Between Two Realms. Inspired by the concept of Bardo (the liminal state between death and rebirth) and featuring Tenzin’s soaring vocals, unique instrumentations and spoken word, along with Wytchings’ hauntingly beautiful soundscapes, this performance blends structured sounds with spontaneous elements.
SISA-SISA
Newly commissioned by Bankstown Arts Centre, with support from Sydney Festival and Create NSW, Sisa-Sisa is an intimate double-bill grounded in Indonesian culture, culminating in two searingly personal dance solos by Alfira O’Sullivan and Murtala on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 January.Alfira O’Sullivan is the founder and artistic director of Suara Indonesia Dance Group and works alongside Murtala, as choreographer to preserve traditional and folkloric dances as well as create new works based on traditional movements.
In Gelumbang Raya, Murtala retraces his time as a volunteer in the aftermath of the 2004 Aceh tsunami, where he spent months pulling bodies from the earth. Through movement and story, he transforms trauma, migration and resilience into a shared act of remembrance and belonging.
In Jejak & Bisik, Alfira alchemises cultural silences around fertility, perimenopause and the shifting female body, exploring the realities as woman, mother and ageing dancer. Weaving body percussion, soulful song, spoken word and culturally informed movement, she turns private memory into collective ritual.
Together, these works, complete with a score by Gondrong Gunarto, resonate as a raw, poetic meditation on the frailties and strengths of human memory, survival and identity, asking: what traces remain when we endure the unendurable?
More information about the performances can be found at: www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/tenzin-choegyal and www.bankstownartscentre.com.au/sisa-sisa.
Tenzin Choegyal with Tenzin Kunsang
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Date & time: Friday 16 January 7:30pm
Price: Full Price $39 | Concession $33
Tenzin Choegyal with Wytchings
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Date & time: Saturday 17 January 7:30pm
Price: Full Price $39 | Concession $33
Musicians' Workshop with Tenzin Choegyal and Tenzin Kunsang
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Date & time: Sunday 18 January 2pm
Price: Full Price $29 | Concession and Child 16 & under $25
Sisa-Sisa
Location: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown
Dates: Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 January
Price: Standard $39 | Concession $33