"You never forget your first Bach Cantata,” she said.

“I still have 'muscle memory' of the Cantatas in German, even though we're doing this production mostly in English, to make it understandable for local audiences.”

"Bach's music is so deep and so satisfying for both the musician and the listener, that the experience of listening to one of his works live, or being part of it as a chorister or musician, stays with you for life."

Griffin has held the position of Director of Music at St Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn for the last 18 months.

Encouraged by Dean Phillip Saunders to present concerts in the cathedral, Ms Griffin decided on the Christmas Oratorio by Bach, “because it's a rarely performed, rather difficult work, and one I wanted to be able to share with audiences”.

“An Oratorio is like the religious version of musical theatre: there's a choir, orchestra and soloists, a storyline, and a narrator, except that in a Cantata the storyline is scriptural - in this case, it's the Christmas story - the story of Mary, the Angel Gabriel, and the birth of this precious and special child,” she said.

“Part of the challenge of staging a work of this magnificence is attracting the right musicians, but once you do, it's kind of like a snowball. I realised fairly early on that I would need professional strings to play this work.

“The strings really have to 'go like the clappers' and be super-precise and in tune, so an excellent friend in Anne Morris, a local violin/viola player helped me put together an incredible all-star string quartet of professionals as the backbone of the orchestra.”

First violinist and renowned concertmaster Robyn Sarajinsky is a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra while the second violinist, Marian Arnold, is a well-known ABC broadcaster.

Cello is Danny Morris, who plays in the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra and Anne Morris is on viola.

The Sydney-based organist, Heather Moen-Boyd, is no stranger to Goulburn concerts while Goulburn baritone soloist Richard Orchard will also feature. 

The 40 voice parts-balanced 'invitational choir' has been assembled with experienced singers from throughout the Southern Tablelands, South Coast, Braidwood, Highlands, Canberra, Albury and Sydney.

The concert will be held on Saturday, December 15 at 3pm in the Cathedral.

Ticket sales and donations will pay the orchestra, and then be split between the Cathedral, the organ fund to maintain our wonderful heritage instrument, and the choir fund to purchase more music.

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