The Song Company

Co-Artistic Director + Principal Artist

An iconic leader in the Australian contemporary music scene

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Guiding a 40-year legacy

Jessica O’Donoghue as Co-Artistic Director and Principal Mezzo-soprano

The Song Company has shaped the landscape of Australia’s contemporary music scene, supporting generations of Australian vocal artists and composers. As Co-Artistic Director, Jessica demonstrated her passion for developing the sector, commissioning and premiering music that showcases the depth and diversity of the Australian musical community, including works created by female composers, Indigenous performers and creative artists. 

Determined to support emerging artists, Jessica introduced the Emerging Artist Program, designed to provide early-career singers with mentorship and performance experience. Having secured funding, the paid program supports artists to build professional pathways through understudying, skill development and mentoring with the artists of The Song Company. 

Through its 40 year legacy, The Song Company has left an enduring foundation for the creation of new works, artist development and audience engagement.

About The Song Company

  • Logo with the text "LIMELIGHT Music, Arts & Culture" in red on a black background.

    Pairings and Odd Couples (2025)

    “Sheer brilliance and musicality in the hands of these masters of technique and interpretation. This was first-class ensemble singing, despite the very challenging repertoire, executed with a quiet confidence and attention to detail.”

    - Limelight ★★★★★

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    Pairings and Odd Couples (2025)

    “The Song Company amaze, but they always amaze!”

    - Canberra City News

  • The logo of classic ON, with the text 'classik' in white and 'ON' in red, on a black background.

    Pairings and Odd Couples (2025)

    “A thoughtful, virtuosic and truly odd coupling of works, styles and centuries, just what we love and expect from The Song Company. And it worked brilliantly. Bravo.”

    - ClassikON

  • Logo with red text reading 'LIMELIGHT' and smaller red text underneath that says 'Music, Arts & Culture.'

    Journeying to Finisterre (2025)

    “The effective blending of voices in a vocal ensemble is not about the character of the voices themselves, it is to do with how well each singer listens and adapts to the other voices. Volume, phrasing, timbre, character and tone are all important, and skilled ensemble singers learn to adjust each of these elements to produce the required sound, mood and style of each piece in whatever acoustic they are required to perform in. It is rare to hear a group do this with such precision, across such a range of musical styles, as The Song Company managed on a warm Sunday afternoon in Canberra.”

    - Limelight 4.5 stars

  • Text reading 'LIMELIGHT Music, Arts & Culture'

    Love’s Four Seasons (2025)

    “The Song Company’s vigorous revival continues with yet another very imaginative program, executed almost flawlessly, showcasing the madrigal form.”

    - Limelight ★★★★★

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    40th Anniversary Concert (2024)

    "A wonderful package of bite-sized Australian works, and a long-awaited world premiere from an Australian legend. With inventive staging and lighting, Edwards’ Vespers was not just presented but honoured, clearly handled with respect and love. There are not many groups larger than The Song Company that would dare program such an ambitious work in its entirety, or make it the main meal of a concert in the second half. Leaving a little tearfully, I felt proud to be bearing witness to the creation of new Australian work, and the talent our composers (and performers) display if allowed the space.”

    - Limelight

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    40th Anniversary Concert (2024)

    "An outstanding showcase of some of Australia’s finest. What a joy and privilege it was to join a sell out crowd to celebrate 40 years of Song Company excellence and spend a couple of hours reflecting on this ensemble’s massively rich legacy… As The Song Company is credited with over 120 commissions I did not envy co-artistic directors’ Amy Moore and Jessica O’Donoghue’s task in programming the first half. They succeeded in presenting a beautiful snapshot of quirky, humorous, poignant, emotive, as well as harmonically and technically challenging vocal sextets – quintessentially “The Song Company”… A huge roar from an appreciative crowd closed The Song Company’s 40th anniversary gala, an outstanding showcase of some of Australia’s finest, many of whom were in the audience to join in the celebration. A triumphant concert marking a massive milestone in Australian musical history. Here’s to another 40 years!”

    - ClassikON

  • LIMELIGHT Music, Arts & Culture logo with red text

    Superbloom (2024)

    “Superbloom is a sterling test of ensemble skills, versatility of style and musicianship. The singers of The Song Company are masters of the diverse repertoire that they present, be it medieval or modern… After a hushed silence, the audience burst out in raucous applause with whistles and bellows expressing their appreciation of a truly exciting and superbly performed program of contrasts.

    - Limelight

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    Superbloom (2024)

    “With glass walls and wooden floor, the Opera House’s Utzon Room provided a splendid resonance chamber for the Song Company, giving the listener an intimate experience of their immaculate control, close attention to minute musical detail and glowing balance.”

    - Sydney Morning Herald

  • Red and black text showing 'LIMELIGHT Music, Arts & Culture'.

    Songs From a Strange Land (2023)

    "This is a gilt-edged performance from The Song Company”

    - Limelight

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    Rosa Mystica (2023)

    "Symonds and The Song Company – simply mind blowing… Is it possible to grow more intelligent by simply attending a concert? Can music stimulate the synapses and promote neuron connectivity? I certainly felt that way on leaving The Neilson last night. The Song Company’s Songs of Rosa Mystica was mind blowing – in all the best ways… Each singer rose to the part and added their own personality to the eclectic, time-bending nature of a work that truly pays homage to The Song Company’s virtuosic versatility… Yes, for me this concert did push the boundaries of musical exploration, demanding my utmost attention and engagement, and yes, it was an utterly enriching experience I wholeheartedly embraced. Thank you to The Song Company for expanding my world (and adding a few brain cells in the process).”

    - ClassikON

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    Rosa Mystica (2023)

    “Over its 20-minute duration the performers have to slip in and out of character, negotiate extraordinary harmonies, timings and vocal somersaults in what Symonds describes as “quite simply one of the most virtuosic compositions I’ve ever encountered for six unaccompanied voices”. Each singer has a tuning fork, sometimes two, to hold to their ears so they can get their entry note right, and from the audience’s point of view this was a remarkable display of perfect musical and theatrical precision and co-ordination, all superbly micro-managed by Symonds.”

    - Limelight

  • The logo of ClassiK ON with black background, white text, and a red 'ON'.

    Songs Under the Southern Cross (2023)

    “The concert ended as it began with an elevation into musical joy and bliss. In a word, ethereal. Bravo to all.”

    - ClassikON

The Song Company Showreel 2025

Group of seven diverse adults, four women and three men, walking together outdoors under a large bridge at sunset or early evening, with a scenic background of trees and a distant cityscape.
Jessica O'Donoghue engaging in conversation with a man in a suit at a formal event.
A group of seven people dressed in formal attire standing on steps, smiling for a group photo, with four women and three men, in black and white.
Group of six people in formal attire sitting and standing in a modern, warmly lit event space with wooden chairs, engaging in conversation and laughing.
A group of people dressed in formal attire bowing on stage after a performance.
A group of seven people singing on stage, with music stands and a conductor in front of them. The scene is set in a dimly lit room with wooden floors and a dark background.
Group of five actors performing in a theater, standing behind music stands, with their mouths open as if singing or speaking.
Group of seven diverse adults standing together indoors against a textured wooden wall, dressed in business casual attire, looking at the camera with neutral or slight smiles.
Four people standing in front of music stands, singing or performing in a room with large windows at night.
A black-and-white photo of five diverse adults standing outdoors under a modern structure with dark horizontal beams and concrete. They are dressed formally and looking at the camera.
Three women standing outdoors against a textured wall, with sunlight casting shadows on their faces and a dark background on the right.
Group of six well-dressed people standing on outdoor steps near water with boats, harbor, and trees in the background on a clear day.
A choir performing on stage with a conductor guiding them. Women are singing and dressed in formal attire, with a musician playing drums on the right. Audience members are visible in the foreground.
Group of six professionally dressed individuals posing against a plain background.
A group of singers performing on a stage with a large window showing water and ships in the background.
Group of six performers, three men and three women, singing on stage with music stands, a pianist playing a keyboard, and a wooden decorative music stand in front of them, against a purple-lit wooden backdrop.
A group of seven classical singers performing on a stage with music stands, in front of a warm, wooden-paneled background, dressed in formal black attire.
Group of six musicians singing together on stage, with music stands and instruments around them.
Orchestra and choir performing on stage in a concert hall, conducted by a conductor, with various musical instruments visible.