They came. They stood. They sang.

It was one of the biggest choral deals in Dublin since George Frederick Handel unveiled his brand-new Messiah at Fishamble Street in April 1742.

As part of the celebrations for the 400th birthday of Trinity College, Dublin, some 10 choirs got together to perform Gustav Mahler’s eighth symphony at the Point Theatre.

Nicknamed the Symphony of a Thousand for obvious reasons, Mahler’s musical megagig creates a huge splash wherever it’s performed. Featuring two full orchestras as well as 1,100 singers, the concert was broadcast simultaneously on RTÉ radio and television in May 1992; an unforgettable experience for those who took part, and a highlight of musical performance in Ireland over the past half century.

Over the coming weeks, the National Concert Hall will be digging deep into the rich layers of our classical tradition, putting the spotlight on music by Irish composers in a concert series called Composing the Island.

With a glittering cast which includes many of our best-known performers and ensembles, it will feature music by composers whose names may be familiar – and some you’ll never have heard of. At the end of the month there’ll be a big choral finale when the RTÉ NSO and the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir revisit works by Norman Hay and Rhoda Coghill.

That gig won’t, of course, be on as large a scale as the Mahler: few choral events are. But today’s photo reminds us of the particular energy and excitement produced by a live choral performance. All those open mouths; that exquisitely synchronised outpouring of breath.

Study them at your leisure, and the faces will offer stories in the key of life. Or just glance briefly along the picture from left to right. What do you see? Black areas here and there, nestled in a pattern among the parallel lines formed by open scores and white shirts.

Black dots on parallel lines. That’s all. But with the power to move us to infinity and beyond.

Arminta Wallace