Sunshine Coast Oriana Choir Presents Mendelssohn's Elijah

The Sunshine Coast’s own Oriana Choir is proud to bring you this magnificent Oratorio, in collaboration with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra. Mendelssohn’s choral and orchestral masterwork depicts events in the life of the Biblical prophet, Elijah, with lyrics based directly on the text of the Old Testament books of I and II Kings.

The oratorio was premiered in 1846, and has come to hold its place with the greatest choral works still being performed the world over. Mendelssohn was inspired by his baroque heroes Handel and Bach, but the music is all Mendelssohn, and reflects his genius as a Romantic composer.

Oriana is no stranger to performing major choral works. Past presentations include Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass In C Minor, Faure’s Requiem and Bach’s Magnificat. Oriana has long desired to perform this very special work, and is delighted to have the opportunity to work with the B.S.O., to stage it as part of the Events Centre’s re-opening celebrations.

Oriana is honoured to be under the directorship of world-renowned choral conductor Jonathan Grieves-Smith. 
Jonathan Grieves-Smith is Artistic Director of Australia’s professional choir, Hallelujah Junction, and of the Hamer Singers. He has conducted such ensembles as the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the BBC Singers, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra National de Lille, the London Mozart Players, and many, others, and collaborated with such musicians as Simon Rattle, John Eliot Gardiner, Bryn Terfel, Simone Young and Stephen Layton, at the BBC Proms, European festivals and in recordings.

Soloists for Mendelssohn’s masterpiece will be:
Elijah – Daniel Smerdon
Soprano – Elisabeth Wallis Gaedtke
Alto – Anne Fulton
Tenor – Phillip Prendergast