Songs from the Summit to Celebrate 13 Years (Sydney Bridge Climb)

BridgeClimb Sydney has celebrated their 13th anniversary with songs from the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge by Australia's leading choral organisation, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

The Choir's beautiful serenade rang through the air from 134 metres above Sydney Harbour as they sang the 'Hallelujah Chorus' and 'Happy Birthday'.

In a double celebration, one lucky Climber who shares the same birthday as BridgeClimb, David Lawrence from Epping, was surprised with a very unique 50th celebration as the choir welcomed him to the summit in song.

David climbed with his wife Elizabeth and two children Clare, 14 and Nick, 13, having received the BridgeClimb experience as a surprise for his special day.

"Being surprised with a BridgeClimb for my 50th was one thing, but getting serenaded at the summit was another experience altogether, and will be a birthday I will never forget!" David said.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs also had a reason to celebrate; the 500 strong chorister body has recently celebrated their 90th anniversary. Over the years Philharmonia has performed with Pavarotti and Barbra Streisand, sung on film sound tracks such as Happy Feet, at the opening of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 and in the London Proms in 2002 and 2010. Regularly appearing in concert with the Sydney Symphony, Philharmonia welcomes new members throughout the year.

"It's a privilege and delight to help our friends at Bridgeclimb celebrate their birthday" said chorister Dr Carolyn Lowry who has been singing with Philharmonia for 22 years.

"Both our award-winning organisations are unique, strive for excellence and both make an important contribution to the cultural life of Sydney. What better way to celebrate nine decades of choral singing and the Bridge's 13th birthday than by singing on top of the Bridge overlooking our sensational city?"

Over the past thirteen years BridgeClimb has made remarkable developments from the initial Day Climb, with Climbers now having the choice to experience a Dawn, Day, Twilight or a Night Climb. Climbers also now have the choice between three Climbs; The Bridge Climb, The Discovery Climb and The Express Climb.

BridgeClimb are currently in preparations for the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on March 19th, 2012, with celebrations to pay homage to the famous coathanger and the heroes of its past and present.

Whether it is watching the city awake, capturing the energy of the city during the day, taking in the romance of twilight, or the city at night, BridgeClimb offers a unique and memorable Sydney experience. For booking enquiries call (02) 8274 7777 or book online at www.bridgeclimb.com

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au

Happy Birthday Sydney Harbour Bridge

On Saturday 19th March 2011, Sydney Harbour Bridge turned 79.

Apart from celebrating so many years since the opening of the world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, the day also represents the official start to the much anticipated countdown for the 80th anniversary next year, a colossal milestone for the Bridge and its harbour city.

The Bridge opened on Saturday 19 March 1932 and has proved to be the iron lung of the city of Sydney. Its construction recruited over 2500 people during the Great Depression and the Bridge now connects the populations of North and South Sydney by currently supporting approximately 156,590 vehicles on a daily basis.

Through its grand beauty and meticulously engineered stature the Bridge has also proved to be a quintessential Australian landmark, and along with the Sydney Opera House is recognisable across the world and an absolute "must-see" experience during the recent visit by Oprah Winfrey.

On Sunday 20th March, BridgeClimb Sydney, the company who shares the Bridge's secrets and showcases its spectacular view every day, celebrated the Bridge's 79th birthday with Climbers from Australia and around the world.

The company's Managing Director, Todd Coates says "BridgeClimb Sydney is privileged to celebrate with our Climbers the 79th anniversary of this engineering masterwork. This is the penultimate celebration before the 80th anniversary, and a moment to honour the cultural and historical significance of this global icon".

Get Star Struck With BridgeClimb

BridgeClimb are providing an exclusive opportunity to experience a Climb on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during Earth Hour.

Led by Fred Watson, the astronomer in charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory, climbers will have the rare opportunity to watch in awe from the top of the Bridge as the lights switch off in Sydney and the city’s sky illuminates with stars.

Earth Hour is on Saturday, 27 March from 8:30pm – 9:30pm, when homes and businesses across Sydney will switch off their lights to show their support for action on climate change.

Watson will provide expert guided commentary on astronomy for the climbers without the usual light pollution that makes it almost impossible to stargaze in the beautiful city of Sydney.

“Light pollution is caused by inefficient artificial lighting illuminating the sky so that fainter astronomical objects, like stars, are hard to see or disappear altogether,” the award winning Watson said.

Watson then went on to comment that “"The main thing is to…get away from places where there is a concentration of light, so Earth Hour will be the perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of our city’s night sky at its best".

This exclusive Climb will be on The Bridge Climb and will start at 6:45pm. Tickets are $188 each, with limited spots available. To take advantage of this rare opportunity, please call the ticket hotline on (02) 8274 7777.

To book a climb at another time on one of our three amazing climbs, The Bridge Climb, The Discovery Climb or our newest climb, The Express Climb, please visit www.bridgeclimb.com.

(Source: TravMedia 23/03/10)