Choral Gems: Music from the Masters of Sacred Music, on September 15 and 16, features composers such as Victoria, Byrd, Gibbons, Purcell, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Rossini, Bruckner, Elgar, Grieg, Stanford, de Severac and Vaughan Williams.

Choir director Pippa Andrew said through the centuries sacred music had proven the biggest influence on the overall development of choral music.

“I thought I’d go back to the roots and explore that a little bit,” she said.

This will be Andrew’s first full concert leading the Murray Conservatorium Choir since taking over in June, although the group gave a brief preview at last month’s Border Choral Voice weekend.

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The repertoire highlights the motet, a sacred choral composition with harmonic parts, usually in Latin and often unaccompanied.

Andrew said about half the program would be performed without accompaniment, which the singers had embraced with enthusiasm.

“I’ve been really, really impressed by how well they’ve taken to that,” she said.

“There’s nowhere to hide and we’ve certainly had our ups and downs with it.

“It really offers the opportunity to listen and tune to each other in a way that you don’t necessarily do if you have an accompanist.”