Heavenly voices take Messiah to New York Take a look at one of Australia's oldest Christmas traditions - Handel's 'Messiah' performed at the Sydney Town Hall. Sydney's Combined Church Choir singers, from left, Nilanthi Fernando, Susan Conery (background), Ruth Ponniah (foreground), Nina Hyett and Don Myers. RUTH Ponniah has been singing one of Australia's longest running Christmas traditions, Handel's Messiah, since she was a child and knows the three-part work by memory. But the chorister, now in her 70s, never expected an invitation to sing the piece at New York's famed Lincoln Centre. Ponniah has performed Messiah for more than three decades with Sydney's charity-run Combined Church Choirs, which was recently invited by Distinguished Concerts International New York to sing with choristers from across the globe at its Christmas performance. At first I was puzzled: why us? Ponniah says. But when it was explained somebody had heard our recording, that was really a very proud moment. VIDEO: Hallelujah, it's Christmas! DCINY program development officer Kevin Taylor discovered the singers after watching a video by The Australian last year that showcased a rehearsal of the choir, including a rendition of the famous "Hallelujah" chorus, at Sydney's Town Hall. It was the first time an Australian choir had been invited to sing at the New York Messiah performance, for which 24 singers made the journey. "I was blown away by how well it was organised and the exceptional sound of the choir," Taylor says. For an amateur group who only gets together once a year, it is very well done. More than 400 musicians from five countries performed the work to a sold-out audience at the Avery Fisher Hall, home to the New York Philharmonic, on December 1. Tim Chung has conducted the Combined Church Choirs for five years and says it was exciting to be recognised at an international level. " (DCINY's) is the first major Messiah in New York for the Christmas season," he says. New York, like London, is perhaps the major cultural centre of the world where the best artists assemble. The Combined Church Choirs will perform Handel's Messiah at Sydney's Town Hall on Saturday and Sunday.