WOULD you like your heart to fill with happiness and your ears with a wondrous soundcloud of choral music sung loud and clear? Hasten to King John’s Castle for 2.30pm this afternoon Friday 7 for a Big Sing spectacle unique to Limerick Sings International Choral Festival.
From organising force, University Concert Hall and their marketing manager Emma Foote, we hear that “we have our Limerick Sings ‘Outdoor Chorus’ in King John’s Castle today at 2.30pm which will be a choir performing one of Bob Chilcott’s pieces ‘Evening Hymn’ conducted by Bob himself!”
This sunny panorama is just one stage in the weekend’s roll out of events for the Choral Festival that brings hundreds of choristers from Ireland and abroad together for music, sweet music.
Some 300 singers flew in from the US for a concert in The Redemptorist Church and proms in Adare’s Holy Trinity. There’s a free choral trail through city and suburbs and to end it all with a double clef, the gala concert at UCH.
“The format is over four days from June 6 to June 9,” explained festival director Sinead Hope to Limerick Post last week.
The variety to this festival’s content makes Sinead happy, a violinist and choral singer herself. “The second [training] item is the Bob Chilcott Workshop on Saturday June 8 There is not a choir that won’t have a piece of his music in their repertoire. He came up through King’s College, Cambridge, world renowned for its choral tradition and is a really wonderful conductor and composer.”
Chilcott’s unit is 9.30am to 3.30am with lunch included; music sheets will be supplied.
On Friday 7 night, anticipate Limerick Choral Union, Voices of Limerick and AOIDE Choir leading in before the songbook as chosen by American voices is explored. Sinead refers to top choirs from Missouri State University and Kickappoo, US, presenting for ‘Choirs in Concert’ on Friday 7 at Mt St Alphonsus for 8.15pm. RTE Lyric FM’s Lorcan Murray will present the show.
His colleague Liz Nolan introduces the ‘Festival Proms’ in Adare on Saturday afternoon at 4pm and she again will set context for the closing Gala Concert in UCH on Sunday June 9 at 7pm. Máire Keary-Scanlon and Dr Cameron LaBarr lead parts one and two respectively at UCH, Plassey, booking at www.uch.ie Programme is at www.limericksings.com
