The Art of Choral Harmony features some of the great masters of choral writing: Hildegard of Bingen’s ecstatic melodies, written for the nuns of her 12th-century abbey; exquisitely passionate madrigals by Monteverdi and Gesualdo; the lush harmonies of Brahms and the delicacy of Debussy; and three thrilling Australian choruses for a mighty finale.

“We wanted to take our audiences on a journey through the rich, extraordinary world of choral singing,” a spokesperson for the Sydney Chamber Choir said. “It’s a 1000-year history, which is a lot to cover in a single concert, but we’ve started at the beginning, with some medieval plainchant, and come right up to present-day Australia, with as many of the highlights from in between as we could fit in!”

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Mr Gill became music director of the Sydney Chamber Choir in 2014. He is also artistic director and principal conductor of the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, and founder and director of the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program. He has conducted many Opera Australia productions, and was founding music director of Victorian Opera.

The Sydney Chamber Choir, formed in 1975, comprises 24 semi-professional choristers, many of whom have worked together for more than a decade. The choir has recorded soundtracks for several feature films, and was ranked third out of ten top choirs from around the world in an international choral competition in 2009.

The Art of Choral Harmony, featuring the Sydney Chamber Choir conducted by Richard Gill, is at Lazenby Hall, UNE, at 7pm on Thursday May 3. The concert is organised by NECOM and Musica Viva Armidale. For more information, and to book, see NECOM’s website.