The Valley of the Dry Bones

It speaks to something ancient, echoing across traditions, cultures and rituals, as though awakening a memory carried through generations.

Richly coloured and rooted in sacred liturgical traditions, this oratorio unites Eastern and Western musical worlds, harnessing the expressive power of the full MSO, Chorus and The Consort of Melbourne singers to tell a timeless story.

At its core lies a simple but urgent question: how do we choose to live together? The work holds up a mirror, asking not who is right, but what kind of people we wish to become.

Librettist Stan Grant writes:

“Son of man, can these bones live?” As God spoke to Ezekiel in the valley of death, so we ask ourselves today: Is there still life in our world? In The Valley of the Dry Bones, we ask how we can put aside our hate.

We are poisoned by a history that makes enemies of us all. But there is another way. We can put down our weapons. We can release the hold of history. We can still our souls. This oratorio is a journey to reawaken our spirits to the gift of life.