Chamber Choir Ireland Autumn/winter season brochure

CHAMBER CHOIR IRELAND Autumn/Winter 2016 Season Artistic Director: Paul Hillier

—1—

—2—

In the same series, we’re delighted to work for the first time with the highly acclaimed Vanbrugh Quartet in Ian Wilson’s new work Wayfarers in Dublin and Cork.

Welcome From J.S Bach to Gerald Barry, and so much more in between, Chamber Choir Ireland’s busiest season in recent years brings together an eclectic mix of composers, countries and performers, visiting venues throughout the island.

We’re delighted to start our season collaborating with the National Concert Hall and RTÉ presenting Choirland as part of the phenomenal Composing the Island series marking 100 years of Irish music.

Featuring works from Stanford through to a 2016 commission from Belfastborn Stephen McNeff and newly commissioned text from Dublin-born Aoife Mannix, together with some of the many brilliant Irish composers in between.

Another new collaboration sees James Wood direct Chamber Choir Ireland and the Chatham Saxophone Quartet in a stunning spiritual programme including works by Arvo Pärt, Gesualdo and Kancheli. Funded by a Touring and Dissemination of Work award from the Arts Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, this unique partnership with Music Network tours 5 venues in October.

Ever interested in presenting existing works from a different perspective, Bachiana does just that.

Paul Hillier directs Chamber Choir Ireland, visiting the

—3—

choral movement from the fascinating Bachiana Brasilieras by Villa-Lobos, coupled with works (choral and otherwise) by J S Bach, Kagel and Berg.

And at Christmas, we return to the much-loved tradition of Nine Lessons and Carols with new takes on old carols from around the world in the familiar surroundings of some traditional, all-time favourites.

indebted to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for funding through the Lottery Projects Award together with Dublin City Council, our Friends and Chamber Choir Ireland Society, and the National Concert Hall, where Chamber Choir Ireland is a resident ensemble. We are indebted to all our supporters and funders and are deeply grateful for your continued support.

I look forward to welcoming you to our many programmes and performances in the next few months – full details of which are available at www. chamberchoirireland.com

We are delighted to partner with RTÉ lyric fm in 2016/2017 as they record all of our programmes for future broadcast bringing these wonderful choral programmes to a wider audience nationally and internationally.

Majella Hollywood ceo, chamber choir ireland

All of this work would not be possible without the continued support of the Arts Council / An Chomhaire Ealaíon. We are

Connect with us online ChamberChoir chamberchoirireland

—4—

PAUL HILLIER Artistic Director 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 —5—

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.

Order of Dannebrog (the Danish knighthood) by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark.

Paul is represented worldwide

by Konzertdirektion Hörtnagel, Berlin

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 —6—

Chamber Choir Ireland

“a choir at the peak of its achievement” Irish Times

Sopranos Elizabeth Hilliard Sarah Busfield Abbi Temple Kate Macoboy

Tenor Warwick Harte Alan Leech Jacek Wislocki Stuart Kinsella

Alto Christina Whyte Mark Chambers Laura Lamph Miles Lallemant

Bass Jeffrey Ledwidge Paul McGough Gerald Rogers William Gaunt —7—

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

CHOIRLAND

—8—

choirland

From the rich tapestry of choral music in Ireland, Chamber Choir Ireland explores only a fraction of its choral music, from the familiarity of Stanford through to the generation of composers of the present day, many of whom have been close collaborators of Chamber Choir Ireland over the years.

Thursday 15th September National Concert Hall, Dublin 8pm €10/5 | www.nch.ie | 014170000 As part of the NCH Composing the Island series

Thursday 6th October Duncairn Arts Centre, Belfast 8pm £13/10 | www.movingonmusic.co.uk

028 9024 8818 This tour is funded by The Arts Council Touring and Dissemination of Work Scheme chOirland—David Fennessy (b.1976) Letter to Michael—David Fennessy (b.1976) Long Time—Gerald Barry (b.1952) This Worldes Joie—Arnold Bax (1883–1953) O my thoughts surcease (from Three Madrigals)— Brian Boydell (1917–2000) Na Trí Captaení Loinge (The Three Sea Captains)— Aloys Fleischmann (1910–1992) A Half Darkness—Stephen McNeff (b.1951) text: Aoife Mannix Three Motets—Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924) More Mother Goose’s Melodies—Eoghan Desmond —9—

WHERE LIFE SOUNDS BETTER

96-99fm | On Mobile | rte.ie/lyricfm |@rtelyricfm

— 10 — Untitled-1 1

12/03/2015 15:36:55

culture night

CuLtuRE NIGHt EXCERPtS fROM CHOIRLAND Chamber Choir Ireland is delighted to be part of Culture Night 2016. We continue our celebration of 100 years of Irish choral music working with the ESB to present excerpts from our Choirland concert before their landmark building in Fitzwilliam Place finally shuts its doors in October 2016. We will perform several short performances in the foyer over the course of the evening and audiences will also have the opportunity to see some of the ESB’ art collection.

Friday 16th September ESB Head Office, 27 Lwr Fitzwilliam St, 6–8pm FREE

— 11 —

SEPTEMBER

WAYFARERS

— 12 —

wayfarers

Chamber Choir Ireland & The Vanbrugh Quartet join forces to present a very special concert as part of the NCH Composing the Island series. Two significant compositions

by Deirdre Gribbin and John Kinsella are followed by Ian Wilson’s Wayfarers – a large-scale work for mixed choir and string quartet written as a response to the 1916 Easter Rising.

Sunday 25th September NCH John Field Room 3pm | €10/5 | www.nch.ie | 014170000 Friday 30th September Triskel Arts Centre, Cork 7.30pm | €18/16 | www.triskelartscentre.ie

(021) 427 2022

hearing your genes evolve—Deirdre Gribbin Quartet No. 5—John Kinsella Wayfarers—Ian Wilson Chamber Choir Ireland Vanbrugh Quartet Soloists from Chamber Choir Ireland Abbi Temple Soprano Jeffrey Ledwidge Bass Ian Wilson Conductor

— 13 —

OCTOBER

CHAMBER CHOIR IRELAND & CHATHAM SAXOPHONE QUARTET Directed by James Wood

— 14 —

chamber choir ireland & chatham saxophone quartet

Chamber Choir Ireland and Music Network present a very special collaboration this October between Chamber Choir Ireland and Chatham Saxophone Quartet, in a programme of exquisite spiritual music. We are delighted to welcome renowned British musicologist James Wood as guest director for this tour.

Friday 21st October | St Peters Church, Drogheda 7.30pm | €18/16(conc.)/5 www.droghedaclassicalmusic.com | 0419833946 Saturday 22nd October | St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick 8pm | €20/18 | www.limetreetheatre.ie | 061774774 Saturday 29th October | St. George’s Church, Belfast 7.30pm | £14/12 | belfastinternationalartsfestival.com Sunday 30th October | St. Ann’s Church, Dawson Street 8pm | €20/15/5(conc.) | www.eventbrite.ie | 01 4750224 Monday 31st October | St. Iberius Church, Wexford 1.30pm | €20 | www.wexfordopera.com | 0539122144 Intemerata Dei Mater—Johannes Ockeghem Virgencita —Arvo Pärt A Hymn to the Virgin—Benjamin Britten Fratres—Arvo Pärt Ave sanctissima Maria—Carlo Gesualdo Salve Regina—Jacob Obrecht Padouana (from Banchetto Musicale, Suite No. 16 in A minor)—Johann Hermann Schein Ave Maria—Anton Bruckner Amao Omi (Senseless War)—Giya Kancheli This touring partnership is funded by The Arts Council Touring and Dissemination of Work Scheme.

— 15 —

NOVEMBER

bachiana

— 16 —

bachiana

Join Chamber Choir Ireland for a very special evening, fusing Brazilian Folk and popular music with the Baroque influence of JS Bach. This engaging and evocative performance features two familiar Bach motets (Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden and Singet dem Herrn), Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, as well as works from Kagel and Berg.

Friday 18th November St Patrick’s United Church & Gateway Centre, Waterford 7.30pm | €15/5 | www.waterford-music.org Saturday 19th November Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin 8pm | €20/15 | www.nch.ie | 014170000 Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden— J S Bach Es ist genug (from Cantata 60)— J S Bach i. recit: Der Tod bleibt doch/arioso: Selig sind die Toten ii. chorale: Es ist genug iii. Es ist genug (from Chorbuch)— Mauricio Kagel Organ Fugue BWV578—Bach/arr. Ward Swingle Bachianas Brasilieras IX—Heitor Villa Lobos Fugue in D major WTK II— J S Bach Es ist ein Ros entsprungen—Alban Berg Wachet auf (from Cantata 140, iv and vii)— J S Bach Singet dem Herrn— J S Bach Des Earley Organist Malachy Robinson Violone — 17 —

DECEMBER

SING! — 18 —

sing!

Now in its 9th year, SING returns – a wonderful collaboration between Axis Ballymun and Chamber Choir Ireland. Throughout October – December, up to 60 singers from Ballymun and surrounding areas will work with singers from Chamber Choir Ireland preparing for a final gala concert in December.

Friday 16th December, Axis Ballymun 8pm | Free but booking advised www.axisballymun.ie | 018832100

— 19 —

DECEMBER

nine lessons and carols

— 20 —

nine lessons and carols

Featuring a selection of seasonal works, this concert will be interspersed with traditional readings from the Old and New Testaments in the glorious surroundings of Christ Church Cathedral and St Thomas’s Parish Church. These performances promise to be some of the musical highlights of the festive season in Dublin and Belfast. Our Christmas performances have sold out for the last few years so early booking is advised to avoid dissappointment!

Saturday 17th December St Thomas’s Parish Church, Belfast 7.30pm | £13/10 | www.eventbrite.com 015545210 Sunday 18th December Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin 8pm | €20/15 | www.nch.ie | 014170000

Give the gift of music this Christmas See page 25 to give the gift of Chamber Choir Ireland friendship — 21 —

CULTUREFOX.IE

NEVER MISS OUT The Arts Council’s new, upgraded CULTUREFOX events guide is now live. Free, faster, easy to use – and personalised for you.

Never miss out again.

New release

from Chamber Choir Ireland

Barry meets Beethoven

hhhhh The Irish Times

Available at all CCI concerts, in Tower Records and online at Amazon / iTunes Further information from www.chamberchoirireland.com

Become a Supporter As a Friend you are at the heart of Chamber Choir Ireland. Your support helps us to continue the beautiful work we do as Ireland’s flagship choral ensemble.

It is also possible to gift friendship of Chamber Choir Ireland, providing a unique and rewarding present for someone special.

To show our appreciation of your donation, we thank friends of CCI by providing:

Friends €100 Benefits: Two complimentary tickets to a concert of your choice from our annual programme (Chamber Choir Ireland promoted events only) An invitation for you and a friend to attend an annual open rehearsal with Paul Hillier and the Singers An invitation for you, and your guests, to our annual Friends’ gathering A special thank you in our Concert programmes and on our website Advance mailing of season brochure — 24 —

Ensemble Friends €200 With all of the benefits of being a Friend, our Ensemble Friends can avail of four free tickets to a concert of your choice from our annual programme and an invitation for you and up to three guests to an annual open rehearsal with Paul Hillier and the Singers.

The Chamber Choir Ireland Society €250 + 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 each year. They waive any ‘thank you’ benefits from us, and give us permission, as a registered charity, to claim the tax on their donation.

To become a friend of Chamber Choir Ireland, The Chamber Choir Ireland Society or to enquire about the gift ofChamber Choir Ireland friendship, please contact Beccy Fitzpatrick on 015545212 or beccy@chamberchoirireland.com — 25 —

Chamber Choir Ireland is the country’s flagship choral ensemble and national chamber choir under the internationally celebrated and multiaward-winning conductor Paul Hillier as Artistic Director. The Choir is recognised for its unique approach to creative commissioning, recording and programming, and has gained a reputation for the high artistic quality of its performances.

Funders

supporters

Partners

— 26 —

— 27 —

Chamber Choir Ireland National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 telephone +353 (0)1 554 5210 email admin@chamberchoirireland.com artistic director Paul Hillier chief executive Majella Hollywood concerts’ manager David Darcy marketing & pr executive Beccy Fitzpatrick

Full booking details for all concerts available on the Chamber Choir Ireland website: www.chamberchoirireland.com — 28 —