The Crowd & I

The Crowd & I is a passion project that’s been brewing for over a decade as Richard Tognetti, director Nigel Jamieson and cinematographer Jon Frank contemplate the complexity of life on our densely populated planet. Five million people are on the move every week; some by choice, many by circumstance. As humanity moves from a rural to urban existence, mass migration turns cities into metropolises and then into megalopolises, their boundaries blurring. The Earth comes to resemble a star, blazing with electric light. The Crowd & I contemplates this most extraordinary transformation in human history and the new ways in which we have come to live with one another, crowded together and separated from nature.

Richard Tognetti directs the ACO live on stage alongside striking imagery and footage captured from across the globe, including vast refugee camps, epic gatherings in the name of religion, and secular festivals where hedonism rules. Joy holds hands with sorrow. The Individual is inseparable from The Crowd. In the tradition of Mountain, The Reef and Luminous, The Crowd & I promises to be a life-changing experience.

★★★★½ “Riots, religion, sport and mosh pits come together in a musical exploration of crowds… Join a crowd to experience this richly textured and richly rewarding offering.” 

The Age

The Crowd & I is recommended for audiences 15 years and over. This concert contains scenes from news footage that some patrons may find confronting.

Visitor Safety Information

Before you arrive at City Recital Hall, familiarise yourself with our new venue protocols here.

Please do not attend this event if you are feeling unwell. If you have tickets and are no longer able to attend:

• View our updated Terms & Conditions 
• Visit www.health.gov.au for the latest advice and information about COVID-19
• Contact the Coronavirus Information Line 1800 020 080 for any health enquiries

Details correct at the time of publication.

• Program

  Featuring music by Chopin, Ives, Shostakovich, Sibelius and Richard Tognetti.

• Artists

  Richard Tognetti 

  Creative director and violin 

  Australian Chamber Orchestra

  Jon Frank

  Cinematography

  Nigel Jamieson

  Film and staging director