OCT DEC 2019 October – December 2019 Artistic Director Paul Hillier —1—
All booking details and further information can be found on www.chamberchoirireland.com or by calling +353 (1) 554 5210
Chamber Choir Ireland receives principal funding & support from the Arts Council/ an Chomhairle Ealaíon with additional support from Dublin City Council and support from The National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Chamber Choir Ireland is a resident ensemble at the National Concert Hall of Ireland and Associate Artists to Dublin City University www.chamberchoirireland.com
Connect with us online
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Contents P 13
Résonances
October—Dublin P 15
The Seven Ages of Man November—Dublin P 17
Sing!
December—Dublin P 19
A Babe Is Born December—Dublin P 20
Choral Sketches P 21
Composers in the Classroom
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Welcome After a wonderful journey in 2018/2019 through the world of the motet in all its guises, we bid farewell to Bach for now, with many more choral delights awaiting us for the remainder of 2019. To kick off the season we are delighted to welcome for the first time to Ireland, Sofi Jeannin – principal conductor of the BBC Singers. Sofi will direct Chamber Choir Ireland in a full programme of French choral music from the 19th and 20th centuries and we will also be joined by the very talented US pianist, Alexander Bernstein, former prize-winner at the Dublin International Piano Competition. The performance is presented in partnership with the French Embassy in Ireland and we are deeply grateful to the Ambassador, H.E. Stéphane Crouzat for his support towards this programme. Paul Hiller has once again crafted two unique programmes for the end of the year. In November, a loose reference to Shakespeare’s The Seven Ages of Man gets twisted and turned through a wide and varied choral selection and we round of the year with a Christmas programme, the highlight of which is a set of new carols composed by our very own baritone, Eoghan Desmond.
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2020 will see a feast of collaborations ahead, taking us to all parts of the country, multiple new commissions and premieres and further expansion of our learning and participation programme. As always we are indebted to the Arts Council / an Chomhairle Ealaíon for their continued support and Dublin City Council, together with all our Friends and Chamber Choir Ireland Society members. Thanks too, to our partner promoters throughout the Island enabling us to take our work around the country. We are also very grateful to you for your support throughout the year as our audience and friends. Please do digest the contents of our season, mark your diaries and join us for another wonderful choral music journey. Majella Hollywood ceo chamber choir ireland
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Chamber Choir Ireland
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Paul Hillier Paul Hillier is from Dorset in England and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. His career has embraced singing, conducting, composing, and writing about music. He formed the Hilliard Ensemble in 1973 and was its musical director for 17 years. In 1990 he created a new group called Theatre of Voices, which he continues to direct today. He has taught in the USA at the University of California campuses of Santa Cruz and Davis, and from 1996-2003 was Director of the Early Music Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington. He was Principal Conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (2001–2007) and has been Chief Conductor of Ars Nova Copenhagen since 2003. His books about Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich are published by Oxford University Press. In 2006 he was awarded an OBE for services to choral music. In 2007 he received the Order of the White Star of Estonia, and was awarded a Grammy for Best Choral Recording. In 2008 he became Chief Conductor of Chamber Choir Ireland and was appointed artistic director of the newly formed Coro Casa da Musica in Porto. That same year he also created his own music publishing company, Theatre of Voices Edition (www.tov-edition.com). During 2009 he was artist in residence at Yale University’s Institute for Sacred Music. In 2010 he was awarded his second Grammy – for David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion. In 2013 he was awarded the Order of Dannebrog (the Danish knighthood) by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Paul is represented worldwide by Konzertdirektion Hörtnagel, Berlin. —7—
“a sheerly beautiful immersion in choral sonority ” Irish Times, March 2019
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Chamber Choir Ireland Garnering a strong reputation for its unique approach to creative commissioning, recording and programming, Chamber Choir Ireland is the country’s flagship choral ensemble and national chamber choir under the Artistic Direction of the multi-award-winning conductor, Paul Hillier. The Choir’s programmes span from early renaissance to the present day, incorporating established choral classics with cutting edge commissions, and a style of performance that incorporates versatility, dynamism and often vocal pyrotechnics. Chamber Choir Ireland performances have been described as having a tone which is ‘liquid in its power and purity’ with a ‘strong vocal flexibility of style’ (Belfast Telegraph). The Choir has a strong commitment to touring in Ireland and continues to develop its touring network in order to present high quality choral concerts to audiences around the country. International touring has included the USA, Russia, South America and Germany. Forthcoming recording releases will include the premiere recording of Tarik O’Regan and Alice Goodman’s cantata, A Letter of Rights, with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The choir has previously recorded for the Harmonia Mundi, RTÉ lyric fm labels and most recently, the world premiere recording of works by Gerald Barry, Barry meets Beethoven, featuring the Crash Ensemble and Stephen Richardson on the Orchid Classics label. Chamber Choir Ireland has a strong Learning and Participation programme, including in 2019 Composers in the Classroom, Choral Sketches, Sing! at Axis:Ballymun, Choral lectures and ‘An Island Sings’, a large-scale community choirs commissioning project in collaboration with the Association of Irish Choirs and Poetry Ireland. —9—
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Debussy Bonis Fauré SatiePoulenc Daniel-Lesur RavelVillette Boulanger — 12 —
RESONANCES Chamber Choir Ireland is joined in October by the renowned Swedish conductor Sofi Jeannin for a concert of stunning French choral compositions also featuring additional works for solo piano. Energetic, sensible, fun, charming and a phenomenally inspiring conductor of singers and orchestras alike, Sofi Jeannin is currently Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, a post she formally took up in September 2018 – the first female in the role. Equally at home with contemporary music, and extended vocal techniques, Sofi Jeannin is one of the most versatile choral conductors around today, gleaning a wealth of experience from her time with the French Radio Chorus, and la Maîtrise de Radio France, where she continues as Music Director, as well as her background as a classically-trained mezzo. 12 October. St Ann’s Church Dawson St 8pm | €20/15/5 Conductor Sofi Jeannin | Pianist Alexander Bernstein Programme Francois Poulenc Pierre Villette Daniel-Lesur Mel Bonis solo piano Claude Debussy Lili Boulanger Eric Satie solo piano Francois Poulenc
Exultate Deo Hymne à la Vierge Cantique des Cantiques Melisande op 34 rois Chansons de Charles d’Orléans La source Valse-ballet from Sept Chansons La Blanche Neige A peine défigurée Marie Maurice Ravel solo piano Pavane pour une infante défunte Gabriel Fauré Madrigal Presented in partnership with the French Embassy in Ireland
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Fennes ayrfax McNeff kempton Bergman Ferrabosc Isaac — 14 —
THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN Our program is based, loosely and with much poeticomusical licence, on the idea of “the seven ages of man” presented by Shakespeare in As You Like It. Spoken by the character Jacques, this famous passage is often described as a poem or monologue, but is in fact a response in dialogue with an un-named exiled Duke. The speech is a model of cynicism, fashioned by the playwright to suit the character of its speaker. The music chosen for our fantasia is wide-ranging in style, purpose and period, and is not intended as a commentary on Shakespeare’s words, which after all speak for themselves.
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…All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players, They have their exits and entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.
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3 November. Hugh Lane Gallery, 12 noon, Free Conductor Paul Hillier Programme Robert Fayrfax Stephen McNeff Howard Skempton Heinrich Isaac Alfonso Ferrabosco David Fennessy Erik Bergman
Magnificat Regale Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; maggie and milly and molly and may Rise up my love Alla Battaglia Lamentations Hashima Refrain Galgenlieder
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SING! Celebrating 12 years of Sing, Axis Ballymun and Chamber Choir Ireland have joined forces once again in this wonderful collaboration. Join the Axis:Sing Choir which is made up of singers from Ballymun and surrounding areas, and the singers of Chamber Choir Ireland, for a gloriously festive Gala Concert, celebrating several months of hard work and collaboration. If you would like to get involved in this year’s Axis:Sing Choir, you can find out more by calling (01) 883 2100 or by emailing info@axisballymun.ie Tickets for the Gala concert are free but pre-booking is advised by contacting Axis Ballymun Facilitated by Alan Leech 4 December Axis Ballymun 8pm, Free
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A BABE IS BORN To get the festive season off to a lilting start, join Chamber Choir Ireland under conductor Paul Hillier for A Babe is Born, taking place in the stunning surrounds of Christ Church Cathedral this December. Paul Hillier has once again crafted a beautiful seasonal programme including the world-premiere performance of a series of carols written by Eoghan Desmond for this occasion. The programme will also feature festive works by Arvo Pärt, William Byrd and Tomás Luis de Victoria, resulting in a unique Christmas experience. Early booking is advised to avoid disappointment! Christ Church Cathedral 8 December 8pm | 20/15 Conductor Paul Hillier Programme Eoghan Desmond William Byrd Arvo Pärt William Byrd Eoghan Desmond Tomás Luis de Victoria Eoghan Desmond
Sir Cristemas The Morning Star Puer natus est nobis Viderunt omnes Magnificat Hodie Christus natus est I sing of a maiden Verbum caro factum est Alma redemptoris mater O magnum mysterium Salve Regina Coventry Carol A Babe is Born
This programme presents the first performance of Sir Cristemas, The Morning Star, I sing of a maiden, and Verbum caro factum est by Eoghan Desmond, which were specially commissioned by Chamber Choir Ireland for this occasion.
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EDUCATION
Choral Sketches Choral Sketches is a composer development project that is co-delivered by Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary music Centre. It offers a unique professional development opportunity for composers who wish to develop their skills in writing choral music with mentoring from renowned composer Tarik O’Regan. The purpose of the Choral Sketches initiative is to provide a creative and open environment for composers to deepen their experience in writing for voices in a choral context. The project is open to composers registered with the Contemporary Music Centre.
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EDUCATION
Composers in the Classroom Now in its fourth year, the Composers in the Classroom project sees a selection of leading composers from Ireland, who are represented by Contemporary Music Centre, travel to 10 schools around the island of Ireland to coach students in the creative process of composing for an SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) choir. The composer’s visits are supplemented by a visit from a singer from Chamber Choir Ireland so as to give a performer’s perspective. All student compositions are then recorded by Chamber Choir Ireland and a selection of works from participating students are performed by Chamber Choir Ireland in a gala performance as part of the New Music Dublin Festival.
This project is jointly delivered by Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary Music Centre with the support of the Arts Council / an Chomhairle Ealaíon.
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Recordings from
Chamber Choir Ireland Available at all CCI concerts and online at Amazon / iTunes Further information from www.chamberchoirireland.com
Barry meets Beethoven
Acallam na Senórach (An Irish Colloquy)
One Day Fine
Carols from the Old and New Worlds Vol.3
Choirland (Book & CD)
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Thank You We would specifically like to thank:
Friends of Chamber Choir Ireland:
Chamber Choir Ireland Society:
Pat Barker Olga Barry Ita Beausang David and Dorothy Byers Mahon Carmody Patrick Coffey Conor Crowley Alan Esdale Emer Foley Judith Gannon Ruth & Desmond Kinsella Mary MacAodha Aine MacCallion Penelope Mcauley Jenny Mellerick Mary O’Flynn Sean O’Neill Geoff Simpson Brendan & Siobhan Supple
Barry Doocey Warwick Harte Majella Hollywood Bríd Horan Geraldine O’Sullivan Brian Walsh Michael Walsh & Des Crowley Corporate support: ESB High Performance Training
And those Friends who wish to remain anonymous
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Become a Supporter By becoming a Friend or Chamber Choir Ireland Society member, you are helping us to continue the beautiful work that we do as Ireland’s flagship choral ensemble. Contributions from Chamber Choir Ireland supporters help us continue the brave, exciting and innovative nature of our programming as well as providing necessary funding to grow and develop our Learning and Participation programmes which benefit participants of all ages across Ireland. The Chamber Choir Ireland Society is specifically for people who want to ensure that the tax on their donation comes directly to Chamber Choir Ireland. Members donate €250 or more a year. They waive any thank-you benefits and give us permission as a registered charity to claim the tax on their donation. 1 YEAR OF SUPPORT Individual Friend
€100
Ensemble Friend (couple)
€175
Student Friend
€35
includes 4 tickets to Chamber Choir Ireland concerts, an invitation to attend an annual open rehearsal and a special thank-you in our concert programmes Chamber Choir Ireland Society
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€250+
There are unique benefits open to you as a Friend of Chamber Choir Ireland, and these include: 2 COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS to a concert of your choice from our annual programme An invitation for you and a friend to attend AN ANNUAL OPEN REHEARSAL with Paul Hillier and the Singers A SPECIAL THANK-YOU in our concert programmes and on our website ADVANCE MAILING of the season brochure
To become either a Friend of Chamber Choir Ireland or a member of the Chamber Choir Ireland Society, or to enquire about other options for support, please contact Majella Hollywood on + 353 (1) 554 5210 or majella@chamberchoirireland.com
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Artistic Director Paul Hillier Chief Executive Majella Hollywood Concerts’ Manager David Darcy
Board of Directors Olga Barry Eamonn Eaton Bea Kelleher Susan Lannigan Prof. Brian MacCraith Alastair Rankin Richard Twomey Brian Walsh
Funders
Supporters
Partners
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WHERE LIFE SOUNDS BETTER
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Chamber Choir Ireland National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 telephone +353 (0)1 554 5210 email admin@chamberchoirireland.com Full booking details for all concerts available at www.chamberchoirireland.com
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