The vocal music festival, due to feature Jessye Norman, has been postponed due to organiser Jarrod Carland’s ill health.

Sydney Sings, the latest addition to Australia’s bustling festival circuit, has hit an early speed bump after the unexpected ill health of the Event Owner and Executive Director, Jarrod Carland, has forced the new celebration of vocal music to be postponed indefinitely. Currently, no new dates have been offered for the ten-day festival which was due to start on July 28.

Buzz has been steadily building since the announcement last month of an astonishing lineup, headlined by legendary American soprano Jessye Norman, last seen in Sydney in 1975. Choral, gospel, jazz and even beatboxing acts were set to regale Sydney audiences with every delight that the human voice has to offer, but it is now unknown if Norman and other international acts, such as the St. Petersburg Choir from Russia, will still appear at a later date.

Dramatic soprano Jessye Norman

Despite its high profile launch, the Sydney Sings team felt that continuing without one of its founding producers was not possible. “Jarrod Carland has been integral to the delivery of the event,” Sydney Sings Ltd Director Shannon Pigram said. “We are not prepared to compromise the integrity of the inaugural event.”

Sydney Sings Artistic Director, Leo Schofield, said: “We are disappointed to hear of Mr Carland’s prolonged illness and especially of the outcome as the public reaction to the new event and the programme has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Sydney Sings management has pledged to honour a full refund for ticket holders to any of the planned concerts. Musica Viva Australia’s planned tour of the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, and the Soweto Gospel Choir’s national tour will both still go ahead as planned.