We go inside the spectacular Baha’í House of Worship in Sydney for Australia’s first Baha’í Choral Festival.

According to the Baha’í faith, music is spiritual food for the heart and soul. Musicians are encouraged to set the sacred texts to contemporary music.

Founded in Iran in 1844 the Baha’í faith has around 6 million believers worldwide, with about 17 000 in Australia. Baha’ís follow the teachings of their prophet Baha’u’llah (1817-92) and believe there is only one God, and that all world religions including the Baha’í faith, are from the same Divine source.

The words of Baha’u’llah are used in many of the Baha’í songs, usually sung in three main languages of English, Arabic and Farsi. Our 80-voice festival choir will also sing settings of the world's sacred texts in Hindi, Maori and the indigenous language of Woiwarrung, with compositions from the late Ravi Shankar and our guests, choir conductor Lorraine Manifold and her husband Alan Manifold.

The Baha’i House of Worship built above Sydney's northern beaches in 1961 is one of only seven in the world. Like all Bahai temples it has nine sides and nine entrances symbolically representing unity.