Chamber Choir Ireland’s new season, which has just been announced, will feature names such as James MacMillan, Grete Pedersen, Kaija Saariaho and Ørjan Matre, as well as a series of concerts centred around Bach motets, and an extensive outreach programme. 

The 2018/19 series began last weekend (7–8 September) with the first of their Bach motet concerts, Before Bach and After I. Paul Hillier, Artistic Director, described the works as ‘sophisticated, self-consciously brilliant’ motets. The concert series pairs them with works by Brahms, Dufay and contemporary composers such as David Fennessy and Julia Wolfe – read more about the series here.  

‘Unique insight’
Speaking to The Journal of Music about the upcoming season, Majella Hollywood, Chief Executive, said that the ‘main thread is our work with guest directors in the season’. In September, the Choir will perform two concerts as part of New Music Dublin Defrosted: the final gala of their schools project Composers in the Classroom (Culture Night, 21 September), and a performance of James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater, directed by the composer. ’We’re very much looking forward to working with the composer as conductor for this programme – a unique insight opportunity for performers and audience alike.’ 

This year’s Christmas performance (16 December) is called Unto Us A Child Is Born, and will feature Tallis’ Latin Mass for seven voices, traditional carols and works by Pärt, Britten and Herbert Howells. Also in December will be their annual Axis: Sing!, a gala Christmas concert with members of the community choir of Axis arts centre in Ballymun. Speaking of the Chamber Choir’s community and outreach programme, Hollywood said,

A love for choral music develops on so many levels – participatory, historically, educationally, and of course through our concerts, in appreciation. As the national chamber choir, we feel it is so important for us to put choral music at the heart of all we do and that we bring this to the heart of communities in as many ways possible. 

Choral music in Ireland
The new year will begin with Choral Music in Ireland 3, a six-part lecture series taking place on Tuesday lunchtimes at the National Concert Hall, starting on 15 January. Topics will include ‘Moore’s Irish Melodies’ with Una Hunt, ‘Irish Choral Music since 1945’ with Mark Fitzgerald and ‘Choral Societies in Nineteenth-Century Cork’ with Susan O’Regan. 

The choir will also appear at next year’s New Music Dublin festival in March 2019, where they will be conducted by Grete Pedersen, Artistic Director of the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, in her first performance in Ireland for ‘a very Scandinavian choral experience’. On the programme will be works by Kaija Saariaho, a selection of the Orphic Songs by Norwegian composer Ørjan Matre and a work by Swedish composer Maja Linderoth.

In April 2019, CCI will also be joined by the Irish Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Jörg Widmann for performances of Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang in Dublin and Limerick.

For further details of the 2018/19 Chamber Choir Ireland season, visit www.chamberchoirireland.com. 

This news item is supported by Chamber Choir Ireland.