CHAMBER CHOIR SING AGAIN

With the full lifting of restrictions on all live choral singing post covid, September finally saw the chance for Ms. Duffy and St. Paul’s Chamber Choir to begin filling the corridors with live choral music again! The Chamber Choir consists of a small group of singers who all share a love and passion for choral and harmony singing. Rehearsals take place at lunchtime and the 2022/2023 school year included many performances from our talented singers.

First performance on the agenda was the beginning of school year mass, back in the church, where the acoustics so beautifully suited the Chamber Choir’s introduction to the language of Latin and liturgical music with the song ‘Lux Mundi’.

Next, hearing that Sing Ireland wanted to encourage and promote the return to live choral singing by marking National Singing Week, The Chamber Choir decided to embark on planning a free lunchtime concert for all students and staff. This concert aimed to show the overwhelmingly positive benefits and effects singing and music making as groups has on has on our mental health and well-being. The Chamber Choir sang their much-loved Lux Mundi as well as the song which captured the message for the week, ‘This is why we Sing’. Along with choral music, St. Paul’s was treated to performances on guitar, piano, vocal trios, duets and solos from music students across the year groups. A hugely positive and successful concert finished having shown the wonderful talents of our students and lifting the spirits of all present. Well done and thank you to all performers!

Sleigh bells were then calling as exciting preparations began for our school Carol Service, led so well by our Chamber Choir singers! Soaring descants, 3-part harmonies, sleighbells, triangles, pianos and guitars all filled the hall to mark the Christmas celebration. The much-anticipated ‘O Holy Night’ made a ‘live’ return to the hall where our amazing soloists and 3-part harmony arrangement of the chorus was heard, again showing the hugely talented performers in our school.

It was then back to the fabulous acoustics of the Church of the Holy Spirit in January to mark the feast of St. Paul, where Ms. Duffy again asked the dedicated singers to return to Latin for the Offertory piece. Alleluia Gratia Deo was a haunting performance where the choir members had the chance to delve in to early liturgical music. All senior members of the Chamber Choir had a very busy time in March and April where they had the wonderful opportunity to take to the stage showing stunning vocal talent and fantastic acting skill in St. Paul’s production ‘The Sound of Music’.

As the school year began to draw to a close after the Musical, Ms. Duffy gathered the girls to announce a final important ‘gig’ and yet again the great Chamber Choir girls accelerated their music learning skills to quickly take on the beautiful arrangement of Take That’s “Rule the World” in Classical choral style. The new language to conquer this time was Italian and what a stunning high-class performance the girls gave on the night for Prize Giving ceremony. They really sang their hearts out in the hall and showed their skill in harmony singing yet again!

Ms. Duffy would like to commend the girls on such brilliant performances this year and to thank them for their dedication and commitment to the Chamber Choir. What a wonderfully successful year it has been in opening up fully to live group singing again. We can’t wait to hear what exciting performances lie ahead next year for the Chamber Choir. Auditions will be held for some new places in September.