Donaghadee Male Voice Choir, Feile Women's Singing Group, Sestina, Queen's Staff Wellbeing Choir
Enjoy the great variety of music and meet the singers, the choirs and the people behind the scenes who give the thriving choral tradition in Ulster its international reputation.
The new series of Sing Out returns to celebrate NI's choirs and asks who are all these people and why do they do it. It's an opportunity to enjoy the choirs singing and talking about their passion and get an insight into this wonderful world of music where anyone can be a participant, where musical expertise can range from beginners to highly sophisticated.
The series meets the members of Donaghadee Male Voice Choir just back from their tour in Croatia, and hear what motivates such a large group of men to sing and produce such a wonderful sound. From the Feile Women's Singing Group who enjoy many different challenges and locations, to very young children in Sestina who face the challenge of singing a Handel opera: from 'workplace' choirs, like the Queen's Staff Wellbeing Choir, to people who meet because they perhaps all face the same debilitating illness, from churches to cathedrals, from concerts and stage shows to International Choral Festivals.
Sing Out will meet some of the choirs where the standard of choralism is the most important aspect. These highly accomplished choirs have given Northern Ireland a worldwide reputation for choral excellence. Sing Out asks why do we have so many very good choirs in such a small country.
The programme also meets choirs for whom the music and the musical standard is secondary to the social aspect or some other reason for the choir's existence - ie choirs whose members have something else in common (apart from the music).
In the past this has been choirs like the Military Wives, Hospital choirs, workplace choirs etc. John Anderson will also talk to high profile individuals in all walks of life like sport, government, broadcasting and find out the impact that singing in a choir might have had on their early years.
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Singing in the caves
Duration: 01:28
Music in the programme
Dalriada Grammar School Chamber Choir
Nothin’ gonna stumble my feet: John Parker/Greg GilpinDonaghadee Male Voice Choir
Mood Indigo: Duke EllingtonBohemian Rhapsody:Â Freddie Mercury
Danny Boy:Â Trad arr John Anderson
±á˛ą±ô±ô±đ±ôłÜÂᲹłó:ĚýLeonard Cohen
Do You Hear The People Sing (Les Miserables): ł§ł¦łóö˛Ô˛ú±đ°ů˛µ/µţ´ÇłÜ˛ú±ôľ±±ô
Clare ChoraleÂ
Spiritual Jubilee: Spiritual arr Spevacek-AveryQueen’s Staff Wellbeing Choir
My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose: Burns arr McCannAfrica: David Paich/Jeff Porcaro
25th Bangor International Choral Festival
Tyneside A Cappella: Sway: Norman Gimbel and Pablo Beltran RuizAffinity Show Choir: Lover Come Back To Me: Hammerstein/Romberg
Rosemount Male Voice Choir: And So It Goes: Billy Joel
Vocal Point: Mr Sandman: Pat Ballard
Open Arts Community Choir: Psallite: Praetorius
Open Arts Community Choir: Phil The Fluter’s Ball: P. French arr Langford
Donaghadee Male Voice Choir
Founded in 1932, Donaghadee Male Voice Choir began as a small local chorus performing in churches and other local functions. From those beginnings 86 years ago the choir has developed and flourished over the years under the baton of a number of talented conductors. The choir’s current Musical Director is Ivan Black, and Lady Sylvia Hermon MP is the choir President.
Choir membership currently stands around 65, and its repertoire embraces both secular and sacred music, and popular, folk, traditional and operatic works. The choir has made numerous recordings. Their reputation extends far beyond these shores Northern Ireland. They have participated in choral festivals throughout Europe including Bulgaria, Malta, Greece, Italy, Poland, France and Spain and recently (last month!) Croatia and Slovenia.
They’ve also had several concert tours of Canada and the USA where they performed in the Carnegie Hall and St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.
For more information about the choir please visit their web-site atÂ
Queen’s Staff Wellbeing Choir
In 2016 a Staff Choir was added to the schedule of Staff Wellbeing activities in Queen’s University. The Choir rehearse one lunchtime per week and frequently perform at internal events, such as graduation dinners, international visits and carol services, or in front of colleagues, family and friends. Modern research has shown that singing in a choir has shown physical, emotional and psychological benefits, particularly enhanced when singing as a group.
“I loved being part of Queen’s Wellbeing Choir I really enjoyed it and noticed a visible improvement in my mood and general feeling of wellbeing after attending the rehearsals. My colleagues commented on the improvement in my mood and they really enjoyed the end of term performance” (member of the first Queen’s Wellbeing Choir)
The choir leader, Una McCann, takes members through uplifting songs from many genres including blues, pop, Americana, gospel and world music. The choir gives its members a relaxing, but stimulating, interlude where no prior experience of singing or reading music is necessary, as all songs are taught by ear.
Bangor International Choral Festival
Founded in 1993 by Roberta Dunlop, the Bangor International Choral Festival celebrated 25 years in April of this year. Its popularity continues to grow and this year it welcomed over 1400 competitors. From School choirs, including special schools to youth and adult choirs including Barbershop Choruses, the Festival is a great showcase for so many different types of choral music.
The Festival aims to attract choirs from all over the UK, ROI, Europe and beyond and the main objective is to be all inclusive irrespective of background or ability. The Gala evening culminates in the the prestigious Open Choral Trophy and a cheque for £1,000, which was won this year by the Open Arts Community Choir from Belfast.
Over the years the Festival has built a well-deserved reputation for friendliness, and for its perceptive, helpful and positive adjudications.
Information about the Festival can be found on its website or their Facebook page.
Broadcasts
- Sun 13 May 2018 18:30±«Óătv Radio Ulster & ±«Óătv Radio Foyle
- Tue 15 May 2018 19:30±«Óătv Radio Ulster & ±«Óătv Radio Foyle