Scholar Choir

Perth choirs feature in international star Andrea Corr Christmas Songs EP

Last Christmas, international music sensation Andrea Corr visited Dublin’s Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross and sang a selection of her personal Christmas favourites. It was an incredibly moving experience that inspired her to record the songs this year.

The four beautiful, moving songs featured on ‘Andrea Corr Christmas Songs’ have a special place in her childhood. Christmas is always an emotional time, this year more than ever.

‘Next year all our troubles will be miles away,” she sings in ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ before adding “someday soon, we will all be together/ until then we will have to muddle through somehow.” These words resonate deeply as we approach Christmas 2020.

Always bittersweet, the song has taken on a new meaning as we live through this global pandemic. The other featured songs are equally poignant: ‘O Holy Night’, ‘In The Bleak Mid-Winter’ and the original ‘Begin Again’ written by Andrea with more than a touch of the Corrs about it and backed by Perth’s own Aquinas College Schola Boys Choir.

“These are songs that I grew up with, my father played ‘O Holy Night’ in our church every Christmas Eve when we were kids,” Andrea says. “We had been planning this record since my visit to the hospice last year—and then the world changed, and the lyrics took on a whole new and special meaning.”

So did her vocals which beautifully convey the heartfelt sentiment across all the tracks. It took a lot of endeavour to find a male voice choir who could all sing together in the same venue but this was eventually discovered in Perth, Australia with the lovely Giovanni Consort Choir and Aquinas College Schola Boys Choir.

Year 6 student and Aquinas College Schola performer Dashiell Van Ingen said, “I’m nervous but very excited because it’s my first professional recording.” His sentiments were echoed by the rest of the choir, consisting of Xavier Bianchini (Yr 7), Dylan AtkinsWalters (Yr 7), Aidan Griffiths (Yr 6), Luka Patak (Yr 6), Dominic Lomen (Yr 6), Isaac Lim (Yr 6) and William AtkinsWalters (Yr 5).

The Schola Choir Director, also the Director of the Giovanni Consort Choir, Hugh Lydon said, “It’s a great opportunity for the boys and for the school. We were deeply honoured to be asked and couldn’t be prouder of the boys for all their hard work and professionalism.”

Anna Rice and John Hughes put the EP together with much tender loving care.

‘Andrea Corr Christmas Songs’ provides some comfort and joy in these rather difficult times. Enjoy!

Stream and download the album here.

Team Involved Anna Rice, Johnny Taylor, Anton Drennan, Rachel Factor, Dave Hingerty, Ailbhe McDonagh, Giovanni Consort, Kate McNamara, Aquinas College Schola Choir, Lee Buddle of Crank Recording, Brian Crosby, Alan Kelly Mastered by 360 Mastering and, of course, Andrea Corr.