The Dublin International Choral Festival, which runs March 22-24, is hosted by TV and radio presenter Aonghus McAnally and celebrates choral music in all its forms, presenting a variety of choirs from Ireland and abroad in Dublin’s St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street and St Patrick’s Cathedral.
The aim of the festival is to provide a uniquely Irish experience to the visiting choirs and to forge connections between the participants. It’s a non-competitive festival and the focus is on the quality of a shared experience for all.
Choirs include Visionaries Choir, a choir for people from 16 years of age upwards who are blind or visually imparied. The choir is led by Frank Kelly, who has over 40 year’s experience with directing choirs. Frank will also conduct Classic Harmony, a family ensemble who are also blind and visually impaired.
-People’s College Choir is a mixed voice choir of 52 members, founded in 1993 as part of a wider cultural programme of courses offered by the People’s College Adult Education Association, Dublin, conducted by Paul Walsh.
-The Ranelagh Singers, conducted by Rosemary O’Brien will perform a fantastic mix of traditional, folk and contemporary choral favourites.
-An Cór Choir Perrystown are a choir of around 40 members, hailing from South Dublin, conducted by Michael Way, will offer an array of well known classical, musical and folk songs.
-Cór Fingal, with a long list of festival performances and recordings, is conducted by Eoin Conway and managed by Fingal Choral Programme as part of Fingal Academy of Music.
-The Episcopal Choral Society comes to Ireland from California, conducted by Dr. Chas Cheatham, will delight Irish listeners with a unquie repertoire of spiritual songs creating an uplifting and mellifilous experience.
-The National Folk Theatre Choir, is a sub-section of the National Folk Theatre, based in Siamsa Tíre, Kerry will present modern and traditional Irish and English pieces.
-Sligo Orpheus with a fine reputation of choral singing since 1975, having performed at variety of venues around Ireland, England, France and last year to Iceland to wide aclaim, they will present a glorious Icelandic piece among its repertoire.
Audiences are in for a real treat for the final concert, as choirs perform parts of Handel’s Messiah and the premiere choral work Music of a Lost Kingdom by renowned Irish composer Bill Whelan with The Orchestra of Ireland, conducted by the acclaimed David Brophy.
The Dublin International Music Festival runs from March 22-24 - more details here.
