It’s a good evening when the audience leaves a concert humming tunes they have just heard. Thus it is as the Sydney Chamber Choir presents Fireside, banishing the winter chills in a reprise of its 2023 Winter Nights format in an intimate and informal club-like setting.

The mood amidst the audience at the low-lit café tables and chairs is relaxed, seductive and convivial. Music Director Sam Allchurch and chorister Naomi Crellin share the conducting duties. Joined by the legendary Kevin Hunt Trio with Hunt at the piano, double bassist Karl Dunnicliff and Dave Goodman on drums, the choir bops and grooves, scats and hums through music by JS Bach, Lennon and McCartney, Björk and songs by popular northern European composers.

Sydney Chamber Choir. Photo © Robert Catto

The trio plays The Way You Look Tonight as the 25 choristers meander in. They pull out all their party tricks in this concert, showcasing their versatility in style and language. Their sound is balanced and their pitch through unaccompanied complex harmonies and changes in tonality is secure. Rhythmically taut, they perform with excellent ensemble skills and elegant phrasing coloured from a full-blooded forte...