Chamber Choir Ireland Spring/Summer Season Brochure

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 Artistic Director: — 1 — Paul Hillier

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CONTENTS A Letter of Rights | page 11

Belfast – 23rd February Limerick – 25th February Dublin – 26th February

Composers in the Classroom | page 20 Dublin – 7th April

The Great Mystery | page 13 Cork – 28th April Belfast – 23rd May Dublin – 24th May

The Orthodox Spirit | page 15 Belfast – 20th June Dublin – 21st June Limerick – 22nd June

Learning & Participation | page 16 – 21 February – June

Support | page 24

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WELCOME As Artistic Director of Chamber Choir Ireland, one of the big pleasures of my job is planning the programs and building a season of concerts with, I hope, great music. I try and make sure that each concert has its own distinctive character, and that each and every piece is special: then I can look forward to each project in turn, reliving the excitement I felt in putting it together.

This year I believe we have a real feast awaiting us.

There’s early music: Lassus, early Russian chant, and Handel. There’s Romantic choral music: Rachmaninov and other Russian masters.

There is Christmas of course, with an adorable piece The Christmas Story by Hugo Distler – not well known outside Germany but a masterful early 20th century composer somewhere between Vaughan Williams and Hindemith which will be performed alongside carols from an assortment of Irish composers.

These is a brilliant program conducted by Nils Schweckendiek, director of the Helsinki Chamber Choir, featuring modern masterpieces by Messiaen, Nørgård, Rautavaara and Swiss composer Beat Furrer (the latter included at my request!)

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There are premieres: a new piece by David Fennessy for the Cork International Choral Festival (world premiere); an Irish premiere for Bernd Franke’s ‘Luther Madrigals’ (composed for the King’s Singers): Bernd is a very inventive composer from Leipzig, and these ‘madrigals’ are bustling little scenes that depict Luther, the man, with humour and lyricism; and in our first concert we give the Irish premiere of Tarik O’Regan’s eloquent new piece about Magna Carta, with a splendid libretto by Alice Goodman — and the Irish Chamber Orchestra to boot.

And there’s what looks like weird stuff, but is, I promise, going to be very delightful, and wonderful, and entertaining: Kagel, Thompson, Gertrude Stein. All you have to do is come along, and please bring a friend or ten as well.

Paul Hillier artistic director chamber choir ireland Connect with us online ChamberChoir chamberchoirireland

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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.

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He was Principal Conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (2001–2007) and has been Chief Conductor 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.

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

Paul is represented worldwide by Konzertdirektion Hörtnagel, Berlin

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CHAMBER CHOIR IRELAND

“THE TONE OF CHAMBER CHOIR IRELAND IS LIQUID IN ITS POWER AND PURITY, BEAUTIFULLY BALANCED AND PITCHED” Rathcol, Belfast Telegraph, October 2016

Chamber Choir Ireland is the country’s flagship choral ensemble and national chamber choir under the internationally celebrated and multi-award-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.

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The Choir has made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary Irish choral music through its commitment to commissioning new work. The Choir’s repertoire spans from early to contemporary music, together with regular commissions of pioneering choral work by both Irish and International composers.

The Choir has a strong commitment to touring in Ireland and continues to develop its touring network in order to present high quality choral concerts to audiences all around the country.

Internationally, the Choir has toured in Europe, Asia, Russian and North & South America.

In recent years the Choir has a renewed commitment to recording, with releases including One Day Fine on the RTÉ Lyric FM label, Acallam na Senórach and Carols from the Old and New Worlds Vol. 3 on the Harmonia Mundi label, as well as a recording to accompany the publication of Choirland: An Anthology of Irish Choral Music in collaboration with the Contemporary Music Centre and the Association of Irish Choirs. In June 2016, Barry meets Beethoven, a world premiere recording of works by Gerald Barry featuring the Crash Ensemble and conducted by Paul Hillier was released to high acclaim on the Orchid Classics label.

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FEBRUARY CHAMBER CHOIR IRELAND & IRISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

a letter of rights

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a letter of rights

In November 1216, The Great Charter of Ireland (Magna Carta Hibernae) was issued and arrived in Ireland in February 1217. 800 years later it is still noted as an international symbol of freedom and rights, paving the way for the democratic systems which exist in the world today.

Commissioned by Salisbury Cathedral in 2015, British and American composer, Tarik O’Regan has collaborated with poet and librettist Alice Goodman to create a commemorative piece for Magna Carta. Partnering A Letter of Rights in the programme is Handel’s brilliantly virtuosic Dixit Dominus.

Thursday 23rd February St Thomas’ Parish Church, Belfast 7.30pm | £15/5 | www.belfastmusicsociety.org

In association with Belfast Music Society

Saturday 25th February St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick 8pm | €25/22 | www.irishchamberorchestra.com Sunday 26th February Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 7.30pm | €25/22 | www.irishchamberorchestra.com Handel—Dixit Dominus Tarik O’Regan/Alice Goodman —A Letter of Rights (irish premiere) Chamber Choir Ireland & Irish Chamber Orchestra Paul Hillier (Conductor) See also workshops on pages 18 This tour has been made possible through a Touring and Dissemination of Work award from the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

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APRIL / MAY

the great mystery

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the great mystery

Chamber Choir Ireland is delighted to return to the Cork International Choral Festival as Choir-in-Residence.

We offer an extended seminar session as part of the festival’s choral symposium and in our annual Gala Concert the world premiere performances of a CCI/ CICF jointly commissioned work and the winning entry of the Sean O Riada Composition. The central work is

by David Fennessy – the second in a triptych of pieces commissioned by Chamber Choir Ireland. Fennessy takes some influence from works by Orlandus Lassus as edited

by British musicologist, Clive Wearing – works which book-end this complete programme.

Residency at Cork International Choral Festival Friday 28th April. St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork 7.30pm | €20 tickets | www.corkchoral.ie Tuesday 23rd May. St Thomas’ Church, Belfast 7.30pm | £13 | 10 | www.chamberchoirireland.com Wednesday 24th May. St Ann’s Church, Dublin 8pm €20/15 | www.chamberchoirireland.com Orlandus Lassus—Psalmus Primus Poententialis: Psalm 6 Winning entry of the Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition *

Bernd Franke—Luther Madrigals David Fennessy—Commissioned work Peter Maxwell Davies—O Magnum Mysterium Orlandus Lassus—Psalmus Septimus Poententialis : Psalm 142 *cork only See also seminar on page 21 — 13 —

JUNE / AUGUST

the

orthodox spirit

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the orthodox spirit

A unique recital of Russian Orthodox Church Music from the 17th to the 20th centuries as we visit the Russian masters and inhabit the world of church Slavonic with extracts from Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil, and works by Bortniansky, Stravinsky and more.

Tuesday 20th June, St Thomas’ Church, Belfast 7.30pm | £13/10 | www.chamberchoirireland.com Wednesday 21st June Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 8pm | €20/15 | www.chamberchoirireland.com Thursday 22nd June St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick 8pm | €20/15 | www.limetreetheatre.ie Presented in association with the Lime tree Theatre

Saturday 19th August The Black Abbey, Kilkenny 10pm | €25/22.50 | www.kilkennyarts.ie Kiev chant, C17—Blazhen muzh (Blessed is the man) Znamenny polyphony—Dnes Christos (Today Christ is born) Igor Stravinsky—Three Sacred Pieces Vasily Titov —Slava otsu I synu Giuseppe Sarti —Ninye sili nebesniya Alfred Schnittke—Drei Geistliche Gesänge Dmitry Bortniansky—Da ispravitsia molitva moya Dmitry Bortniansky—Glasom moim (Concerto 27) Sergei Rachmaninov—The Vespers (selection) — 15 —

learning & participation | jan/feb: lecture series

CHORAL MUSIC IN IRELAND: HISTORY & EVOLUTION In collaboration with the National Concert Hall Education, Community and Outreach Programme, this series of lunchtime lectures, curated by Stuart Kinsella will explore the Chamber Choir’s history and origins by examining the tradition of choral music in Ireland, amateur and professional, both in Ireland and within a wider European context. Some of the talks will include musical illustrations by members of Chamber Choir Ireland.

1.10pm–2pm | Kevin Barry Room National Concert Hall Free but ticketed via www.nch.ie 17 January: Medieval Sacred Music (–1540) Frank Lawrence (University College Dublin) 24 Jan: Georgian Glees, Catches & Clubs (1700–1850) Tríona O’Hanlon (Queen’s University Belfast) 31 January: Singing And Society (1540–1700) Raymond Gillespie (Maynooth University) 7 February: Imperial To Independent (1850–1930) Harry White (University College Dublin) 14 February: Chamber Choirs: The European Tradition (1990–2016) Leo Samama (TENSO network) 21 February: Broadcasting (1930–1990) Helen Gubbins (University of Sheffield) — 16 —

learning & participation february: workshop

choral sketches and a public interview with alice goodman Friday 24th February Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin 5pm | tickets via www.eventbrite.ie Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary Music Centre have partnered to present Choral Sketches, a unique professional development opportunity for composers wishing to develop their skills in writing choral music with mentoring from renowned composer Tarik O’Regan.

In a highly competitive process, composers Amanda Feery, Michael Gallen and Seán Doherty have been selected to participate in the Choral Sketches project and have received ongoing online mentoring from Tarik O’Regan leading to the development of a series of compositional sketches for a new choral work. These sketches will be the focus of a public workshop led by Tarik O’Regan with Chamber Choir Ireland and Artistic Director, Paul Hillier in the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin.

The workshop will also include an insightful interview between Irish Times music critic Michael Dervan and librettist Alice Goodman (Nixon in China, Death of Klinghoffer) on her approach to writing text for music.

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learning & participation |february

a letter of rights associated workshops LECTURE: A LETTER OF RIGHTS Sunday 19th February Irish Chamber Orchestra Studio, Limerick 3pm | €15 Words or music, which is more important? This is one of the longest standing debates in the history of music.

G.F. Händel’s Dixit Dominus and Tarik O’Regan’s A Letter of Rights are contrasting works: one is sacred the other secular, one is in Latin the other English, one is old the other modern. Nevertheless, both composers had to deal with the ‘words versus music’ issue. How did they go about it? Led by Michael Murphy (Department of Music, Mary Immaculate College)

FAMILY WORKSHOP: MAKE YOUR OWN MINI MAGNA CARTA Sunday 26th February Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 2–3pm | Ages 8+ Free (but normal admission to cathedral applies €2.50) Learn about the 800 year old Magna Carta, try out some of the designs used by 12th century monks and create your own unique list of rules to take home.

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learning & participation |march

riam chorale with soloists from chamber choir ireland Friday 3rd March St Ann’s Church, Dawson St 1.30pm | €7/5| www.riam.ticketsolve.com Chamber Choir Ireland continues its commitment to working with Ireland’s next generation of composers and performers, collaborating with the Royal Irish Academy of Music. One of the leading British composers of his generation, writing “music of startling beauty” (The Observer), Tarik O’Regan pays his first visit to the RIAM this February in collaboration with Chamber Choir Ireland. Acknowledged as a significant voice in the world of choral music, he will work with students of the RIAM on their own miniature works for this much-loved genre working alongside members of Chamber Choir Ireland.

This immersive two-day visit culminates with a public performance on the 3rd March by the RIAM Chorale, and soloists from Chamber Choir Ireland in St Ann’s Church.

The programme will include works by the composition students of the RIAM performed alongside O’Regan’s exquisitely radiant The Ecstasies Above.

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learning & participation |april: educational concert

composers in the classroom gala concert Friday 7th April National Concert Hall 4pm | €10/5 | tickets via www.nch.ie Reviving a highly successful Learning and Participation project from Chamber Choir Ireland’s history, we are delighted to present Composers in the Classroom.

From November – March 2016/2017, five of our highly esteemed Irish composers have been travelling the length and breadth of the island offering focussed choral composition mentoring to transition year/sixth form students. A selection of works from these students will presented in this gala performance directed by David Brophy.

Composers: Deirdre McKay, Ian Wilson, Anne-Marie O’Farrell, Irene Buckley, Elaine Agnew

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learning & participation |april

cork international choral festival seminar Friday 28th April Curtis Auditorium: CIT Cork School of Music 2pm | Admission: Free of charge In an extended session, David Fennessy (composer) Paul Hillier (conductor) and Chamber Choir Ireland will lead a discussion on the commissioned work by David Fennessy, drawing on how the composer drew on the influence of two particular Lassus motets as edited by Clive Wearing, with seemingly minimal text to draw together the work as a whole, and how this fits within the bigger picture of the performance programme.

There will be an exploration of the winning entry of the Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition and a discussion with the winning composer about their approach to choral writing as well as an opportunity to offer performance readings and discussion of a number of the other entries in the competition.

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UPCOMING 2017

September 2017 Visions with guest conductor Nils Schweckendiek Messaien, Furrer, Norgard, Rautavaara

November 2017 Pigeons on the Grass Alas

Kagel, Poulenc Gertrude Stein & Virgil Thompson

December 2017 The Christmas Story

Distler and a selection of Irish carols — 23 —

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 of Chamber Choir Ireland friendship, please contact Beccy Fitzpatrick on 015545212 or beccy@chamberchoirireland.com — 25 —

Artistic Director Paul Hillier Chief Executive Majella Hollywood Concerts’ Manager David Darcy

Board of Directors Olga Barry Lisa Browne Eamonn Eaton (chair) Brid Horan Prof. Brian MacCraith Larry O’Connor Brian Walshe Richard Twomey

Marketing & PR Executive Beccy Fitzpatrick FUNDERS

SUPPORTERS

PARTNERS

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Chamber Choir Ireland National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 telephone +353 (0)1 554 5210 email admin@chamberchoirireland.com Full booking details for all concerts available on the Chamber Choir Ireland website: www.chamberchoirireland.com — 28 —