When the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs presents a one-off performance of Joseph Haydn’s The Creation on Saturday it will be a special occasion. The oratorio itself, written between 1797 and 1798, is one of the great 18th-century choral masterworks, and considered by many to be Haydn’s masterpiece. The performance will feature Australian soprano Taryn Fiebig, who is making her return to the stage after surgery and chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. What’s more, her husband, New Zealand-born bass Jud Arthur is also a soloist at the performance.

Taryn Fiebig and Jud Arthur. Photograph: supplied

Fiebig is a very popular Australian artist, who has gathered a real following at Opera Australia with her clear, graceful soprano, her lithe presence and excellent acting skills. Her roles include Musetta in La Bohème, Susanna, Zerlina and Despina in Sir David McVicar’s acclaimed Mozart trio (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così Fan Tutte), The Woodbird and Gutrune in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady with Richard E. Grant, among others. In September, she will play the Mother in Metamorphosis by Brian Howard.

Her numerous other credits include Michal in Barrie Kosky’s production of Handel’s