It was a great treat to have a conductor of the standing of Brett Weymark, the Artistic & Music Director of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, make his first visit to Darwin to conduct Handel’s Messiah for the Darwin Chorale last Saturday night.

A veteran of more than 50 performances of Handel’s much-loved oratorio, he brought a level of detailed musical knowledge of the work, and its historical and theological underpinnings, that lifted the amateur musicians and made the evening a triumph.

Darwin Chorale performing  Handel’s Messiah. Photo © Anne Lim

Despite a rather uncertain start and some patchy unevenness in the singing, this was a performance that gained in poise and power as the evening wore on.

The soprano and tenor soloists were outstanding. Keren Dalzell, who has performed with National Opera and Canberra Opera, gave a sweet and soaring rendition of I know that my Redeemer liveth, surely one of the most exquisite airs of the whole work.

Elias Wilson, the 2022 recipient of the Harold Blair Scholarship for Indigenous Opera singers, had a beautiful tone and range and his...