
Picture: Oisin McHugh/ FusionShooters
MORE than 550 choristers from home and away will take part in Limerick Sings International Choral Festival, platforming three major concerts in different venues. The States, Sweden, Britain are represented as well as Dublin, Cork and of course, Limerick.
Jeffrey Benson, a leading light in the choral field worldwide, will conduct the Gala Concert on Saturday June 11. His first Carnegie Hall appearancewas a few weeks ago, withย the New York Festival Orchestra.
Campus Life Services at UL is the organising body for the weekend taking place June 10 to 12, between city centre venues and Adare. National stakeholders include Fรกilte Ireland, Wild Atlantic Way and RTE Supporting the Arts.
โNow we are in our fifth year and expanding out, with a packed itinerary,โ promises Sinead Hope, heading up University Concert Hall. โThe programmes are all very different, light and popular. First off we have 10 choirs singing in St Maryโs Cathedral on Friday June 10, everything from Palestrina to Dvorak to Swedish folk music. It will be music appropriate to the venue and acoustics will be fantasticโ. 8pm.
Picture: Oisin McHugh/FusionShooters
For the Gala Concert at her own UCH on Saturday June 11 with RTEโs Lorcan Murray hosting, sheโs looking forward to the New Dublin Voices choice of Shakespearean songs, with elements of poetry, singing a-capella. Limerick Choral Union will revive extracts from โThe Armed Manโ.
Visiting choirs from the US, organised by Zoe Franciscus, present Haydnโs โLord Nelson Massโ accompanied by Limerick Sinfonia under Dr Benson.
Summer Proms shape the final concert, taking place in Adareโs Holy Trinity Church on Sunday 12, 3.30pm. Underlining that the concept of this festival embraces the wider community, Sinead says these closing chorals will be upbeat and various with โThe Lion Sings Tonightโ, โScarborough Fairโ and, wait for it, Abba.
โLook forward to pop-up recitals at St Augustineโs Church on Saturday 11 at 11am and at Sunday services. We want to do a choral trail, not just formal evening choirs. And for the brave, thereโs a dawn chorus that Saturday morning here at the Living Bridge in ULโ.
Thereโs a full programme and booking atย www.limericksings.ie