In perhaps the most unique iteration of the work to deck the holiday season, River City Voices will perform a version of Handel’s Messiah alongside a small chamber ensemble, soloists Warwick Fyfe, Sarah Cherlin and Joshua Oxley, and three slam poets.

On 16 December at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre, performance poets J. Marahuyo, Paris Rosemont and Alasdair David Carter will join the vocal ensemble for the premiere of Slam Messiah, a work that fuses an art form that honours its Western Sydney home with the classical Christmas tradition. Limelight talks to its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Sarah Penicka-Smith, about what this unusual pairing between old and new is poised to bring.

Sarah Penicka-Smith with River City Voices. Photo supplied.

Slam Messiah sounds like an exciting break from tradition. How did the idea come about?

Actually, we’re not seeking to break tradition at all. We wanted to honour the Australian choral Christmas tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah and, at the same time, build a new tradition that felt local. That’s part of the ethos of River City Voices; giving both singers and audience from Western Sydney access to major...