It’s probably the most popular piece in the choral literature, yet conductor Andrew Clark and his Providence Singers managed to make Handel’s Messiah sound fresh.

The Singers were at Veterans Memorial Auditorium last night for a collaborative effort with members of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, a pairing that made for a wonderful night of music.

Thankfully, Clark booked a crack quartet of vocal soloists, which were icing on the cake.

There were few surprises in this two-hour rendition, except perhaps for the decision to use just the first-chair strings in selected arias and recitatives. That made for transparent textures and nice balances, rather than inundating the singers with 40-some strings.

But otherwise this was a fairly traditional rendering that fell somewhere between historical performance practices and good old 19th-century choir. It’s just that it was so musical, so well executed.

The group, which a decade ago was an East Side neighborhood choir, has blossomed into a formidable ensemble, nicely balanced with a strong male component, often the weak link in community choruses.

Last night, the singing was crisp and clear, with the group going for a light touch in choruses like “His Yoke is Easy” and pulling out all the stops for the popular “Hallelujah” chorus. And there was a wonderful lushness to the final “Amen,” where the singing really soared.

This was the first time the Philharmonic has played an entire Messiah, and last night it sounded fine with true, centered strings and splendid trumpet solos from Joseph Foley.

But the soloists really made the evening a treat, singing with a nice sense of period style. Soprano Kristen Watson sounded lovely in “I Know My Redeemer Liveth,” the aria that opens the third part of the oratorio. She has a silvery voice with a ringing top and a flair for ornamenting the vocal line.

But the most impressive voice on stage belonged to baritone Sumner Thompson, who easily negotiated all the runs in “Why Do the Nations” and nailed “The Trumpet Shall Sound.” This is an exceptional voice, perfect for oratorio and early music without sounding too precious.

Tenor Richard Heard stood out in “Every Valley,” but had to scramble a bit in the tricky aria “Thou Shalt Break Them.” Paula Murrihy got to show off her rich mezzo in “O Thou That Tellest Good Tiding to Zion.”

Clark kept tempos lively without rushing the score, and provided a nice bounce to the opening sinfonia. It was a confident, well-paced performance that did Handel’s masterpiece justice.

cgray@projo.com