Victorian Gold Fields history comes to life in Moonlite, an award-winning oratorio inspired by the diaries and letters of Andrew George Scott, an educated Irishman who rose to infamy as the bushranger “Captain Moonlite”. Accused of crimes still considered inconclusively proven today, he was hanged in Sydney in 1880. Scott documented the events of his life in his own words in The Death Cell Letters of Andrew George Scott – revealing that his desire for justice was only surpassed by his love for fellow bushranger James Nesbitt.

Moonlite tells this true-crime queer love story in the form of a 90-minute oratorio for voices, percussion and viola, effortlessly transcending musical genres to paint a picture of Victoria’s own star-crossed lovers, set uniquely in our Gold-rush-era past.

The vocal lines interlace fragments from Moonlite’s death-cell writings in intoxicating six-part harmony, set against a mesmerising percussive backdrop. A solo viola joins the texture—at times, hauntingly, the most human voice on stage.

Winner of the Albert Maggs composition prize, this powerful work is presented in its Australian premiere season by Homophonic! – a leading voice championing queer classical music in performance, regional touring, and commissioning since 2011.

This performance is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.