Choral singing is a broad church - as broad as it gets. Whether you're a lynchpin member of a specialist ensemble, or among a slew of altos in the local singalong, guess what - you’re a chorister.
We’re a nation famed for singers and social gatherings, so it’s little wonder that Ireland boasts a reputation for choral excellence on the international circuit, with flagship competitions such as the Cork International Choral Festival and City of Derry International Choir Festival attracting global attention.
Among these enterprises is one which chooses to sidestep the competitive angle in favour of ground-up inclusivity and involvement for every type of choir. The Limerick Sings International Choral Festival offers a non-competitive three-day programme of concerts, workshops and choral trails; visiting ensembles range from international college choirs, to established choral groups, community singers and even individuals who just like to sing.
Watch: Highlights from Limerick Sings 2022
Now in its eleventh year, this year's festival is set to be the biggest Limerick Sings yet. Around 600 choir members, friends and families, are set to arrive at Limerick’s University Concert Hall for a weekend of performance and events around the city and countryside.
"It’s something that from Day 1 we want to be accessible to everybody" asserts Sinéad Hope, Artistic Director of Limerick Sings. "There are lots of other festivals out there, and they’re fantastic, but we really wanted to focus in on singing: the enjoyment of it, the whole participation in it, and not the pressure of either a competition, or having to do a full concert themselves and all the pieces they’d have to prepare".
In her other role as Director of University Concert Hall, Hope knows all about programming: the wood-lined auditorium of UCH regularly brings top international talent to Ireland’s midwest, and serves as an artistic hub for the region.
Each year, Limerick Sings opens with a gala concert, featuring eminent luminaries of the choral world; recent festivals have welcomed British ensemble Tenebrae, multi-Grammy Award-winning choral composer Eric Whitacre, and his year, iconic male voice ensemble The King’s Singers are set to take to the stage. Crucially, these star performers also engage with participants, by giving choral workshops which cater for all levels of experience.
We are delighted to welcome @kingssingers back to open this year's festival @UCHLimerick 🎶
— Limerick Sings (@Limerick_Sings) May 19, 2023
The King's Singers Workshop
UCH Limerick at 4pm
Tickets from €10
The King's Singers In Concert
UCH Limerick at 7.30pm
Tickets from €30
Book Now: https://t.co/VoslQWx82q pic.twitter.com/1wNJFOYHJ4
"You particularly see it in young choirs, when they’re sitting in on workshops," Sinéad laughs, "they’re just starstruck, really! In fact, everyone is starstruck. And I think that’s something that’s really stood to us over time, with the ensembles we’re bringing in, and these choral directors, they just love the ethos and values of the festival, and its inclusivity".
Limerick Sings was born from a larger drive to promote Limerick as a centre for arts and tourism. "I couldn’t tell you off hand how many choirs there are in the Limerick area, a phenomenal amount," says Sinéad. "So we thought, they can form the foundation of some of the performances, and let’s start building on that, and invite national and international choirs to be involved". Over three days, these participants are presented with a busy and varied schedule, which includes a dramatic Outdoor Chorus at the Cliffs of Moher ("A couple of hairy moments, weather-wise, over the years, but it’s always a success!") and a choral trail of 'pop-up’ performances at various Limerick sites, such as Bunratty Castle, the Hunt Museum and the newly-opened International Rugby Experience.
Groups also perform at assisted living facilities such as the local Milford Hospice. "It’s great to bring the Festival out to assisted living and local communities so they can be part of the festival," says Sinéad.
In addition to the celebrity Gala Concert, Limerick Sings offers two feature concerts: a Saturday evening performance, with visiting international and Irish choirs, and a Sunday proms concert, held in Adare village. In programming these concerts, Sinéad Hope emphasises the diplomacy involved in grouping choirs, and finding a space for them appropriate to their experience: "You may have a newly established choir, and they haven’t the confidence yet - they mightn’t have given a full concert, but they have a piece or two to sing. And we’ll find them the right opportunity, on the choral trail or some other occasion. And it’s not just the occasion, but it’s who we pair them up with, too, so that no one feels the pressure.
"We allow for different levels of performance experience," she continues, "so we find the right match. And the choirs are really supportive of each other - cheering each other on from the sidelines! Because they know this choir has only come together in the last six months, it’s their first performance, and it’s really big for them. Whereas then, you’d have the more established choirs, doing their thing, and they have their opportunity too. And there’s a great camaraderie throughout, a great spirit."
This year’s Limerick Sings Festival is set to welcome choral groups from California, the University of Iceland and Norway, plus a range of local and national ensembles. And individual singers are also very welcome; they’re invited to sit in with the choirs, take part in workshops and choral trails, and to get involved with the social events. Visiting choirs are accommodated on the University of Limerick campus, where UCH is situated; a richly verdant expanse, cut through by the River Shannon, where it’s a brief wander from student rooms up to the Concert Hall. It’s easy to imagine the attraction of a Limerick Sings experience for any choir, its camaraderie, and warm embrace of any and all choral experience, from amateur to world-class.
So, what’s in store for the next 10 years? I ask Sinéad Hope. She grins. It’s a tightly run ship, she points out: the entire festival is organised and run by Hope herself and an operations manager, in addition to their full-time positions at UCH. Nevertheless, Limerick Sings is set to expand; Hope speaks of plans for choral workshops with primary and youth choirs, and cites a recent community initiative with choral organisation Sing Ireland.
"We would like to expand the Festival to offer more choral opportunities to new arrivals in the region," she says, "at immigrant centres, and more recently, to Ukrainian refugees. In recent months we piloted a workshop with some local choir members and some of these new friends, and discussed what they would like in terms of new friendships and connections they might like to make in the region.
"Many would prefer to link in with a local choir than to set one up just for themselves, so, what we're now working on for next year is to help them develop that further, with workshops to help them build their choral confidence, and then match them with a local choir that they’ll enjoy singing with.
"It’s a matter of building connections," Sinéad emphasises, "a lot of Limerick choirs are open to the idea and this will be a particular focus for next year."
The buzz is swiftly building for the 11th edition of Limerick Sings, which begins on Friday 9th June with a workshop and gala concert by the King’s Singers. One of the world’s most acclaimed and versatile ensembles, the King’s Singers are renowned for their graceful blend of outstanding technique and easy approachability - an ethos broadly similar to that of Limerick Sings itself.
As we wrap up our chat, Sinéad Hope outlines the curating and care of choral groups during the weekend - the festival provides transport, offers advice and tips for visiting Limerick. And, she emphasises, every choir gets at least two performance opportunities. "We aim to give choirs a professional concert platform," she says. "A lot of organising goes into concerts and it’s great to be able to support them in this so they can enjoy the experience without all the pressure that goes into organising a concert. We know that small groups find this of particular help, where sometimes everything comes down to a musical director who is left organising everything.
"So," she laughs, "we offer a professional platform for everybody!"
The 2023 Limerick Sings International Choral Festival will take place on 9th-11th June 2023 - find out more here. Tune into to The Full Score with Liz Nolan on RTÉ lyric fm, every Mon-Thu from 1pm-4pm - listen back here.
