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SOUNDBOARD THE MAGAZINE OF CHURCH MUSIC DUBLIN ▪ Giving worship a vibrant voice through music ISSUE 31 MAY 2014

CHURCH MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

In this issue

LIVING WORSHIP 2014 … 2

TRAINING AND INFORMATION for church musicians … 3

DAVID BRIGGS IN LIMERICK ... 4 POPE BENEDICT XVI AND LITURGICAL MUSIC … 5 PIPEWORKS 2014 … 6

AN ORGANIST’S LIFELONG WORK Robbie Crowther … 6 PROJECT MESSIAH … 7

A SIMPLIFIED HYMN TUNE … 7

ST BARTHOLOMEW’S IN PRAGUE … 8

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...and at All Saints’, Grangegorman

There are new beginnings at St Audoen’s Church, 500 metres from Christ Church Cathedral. St Audoen’s is the only medieval (12th-century) parish church remaining in Dublin, and has a Eucharist at 10 o’clock every Sunday. Since January the music has been provided by a 4-voice professional quartet directed by Killian Farrell (see above). Killian is a music student at TCD and also studies organ and piano. He is Young Associate Conductor with Opera Theatre Company and also works as chorus master with DIT Conservatory of Music opera productions. Canon Mark Gardner, vicar, congratulates these young musicians for ‘braving the cold to bring new life into an old place’ and clearly is pleased to have a Sunday Eucharist embellished by a sung Gloria and Sanctus and a polyphonic motet. This solution to a church’s musical needs might be usefully followed by other places.

Photograph by Patrick Hugh Lynch

Music at St Audoen’s, Cornmarket...

There also are interesting music developments in the Christ Church Cathedral group of parishes. Gerard Downey, the interim Director of Music at All Saints’, Grangegorman, is reviewing musical resources generally in the three churches. At All Saints’, the former fine tradition of Gregorian chant and homophonic singing is being rediscovered and the restoration of children’s voices to the choir is particularly welcome. Restoration work to the heritage organ in St Michan’s is being considered and also to the St Werburgh’s Church organ, where the gilded front pipes and a number of the internal pipes date from 1767. Fáilte Ireland recently announced a grant towards the cost of updating the electrical installation in St Werburgh’s.

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Living Worship 2014 – held on three Saturday mornings during January – was led by Mark Duley, Peter Barley and Aidan Greene

Mark Duley’s topic was ‘Re-imagining a tradition’. He described the development of Schola Cantorum at Galway’s Collegiate Church of St Nicholas (see Soundboard 30), explaining the planning leading to its formation and how variety has been achieved by having different choirs ministering to the congregation at various times. It was clear that partnerships established with NUI Galway and with the City Council have been a key factor in the success of the Schola.

Mark also outlined how the church congregation has been included by the use of frequently repeated material. The aspiration to establish Schola Cantorum as an independent corporate entity is a recognition that the future must be planned for, so that personnel changes within the church will not adversely affect the music outreach. Those present sang some of the material used at services at St Nicholas’ and Mark explained how the pieces fit into the liturgy. These examples included a recent macaronic setting by him in Irish and English of Glory to God in the highest, which everyone agreed is attractive and easy to sing.

Using material from the forthcoming supplement to Church Hymnal, Peter Barley, Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, demonstrated ways of teaching new music to a congregation and provided some very useful tips. Participants were pleased to be presented with a useful preview of the supplement and the morning ended with a Q&A session.

Aidan Greene is a music teacher and a former Director of Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, based in St Francis Xavier Church. His topic was ‘gospel music within liturgy: an Irish perspective’. Assisted by a short slide presentation and music hand-outs, he spoke about ways of using gospel music and introduced material suitable for use at church services. Aidan summarised the fundamental characteristics of gospel music as being:

• Strong, tight harmonic sound with good relationships between the parts; the basic triad is much used and parallel movement quite common • Strong soloists, syncopated (off-beat) rhythms and accompaniment • Repetition and reinforcement • Emotion and expression reflected in the music. • Interaction with the congregation /audience; call and response singing is a key feature • Music that supports and relates to the particular occasion and liturgy.

As always, Living Worship presented us with new ideas; ways of reflecting on tradition that will help us today; good communal singing and an opportunity to enjoy a pleasant chat over coffee. Look out for the January 2015 programme.

Living Worship 2014 Companion to Church Hymnal is a superb resource for musicians and clergy. It contains fascinating background information on every item in Church Hymnal and a useful chapter on choosing and playing hymns. Soon will be out of print. Still available at the special price of €40 from David at churchmusicdublin@eircom.net / +353 87 668 3998

Let’s see you! For future issues, we need good images of people singing - something happening - movement - people enjoying themselves - human interest…

In brief, images that reflect the singing church in action.

And we’d like to hear the stories behind them too, so do write us little snippets whenever you do something interesting.

More formal choir photos are useful too, though we use them only sparingly. We’re always happy to receive things. soundboard@churchmusicdublin.org

Deputy organists

If you are on the deputy organist list, be sure to let us know when your contact details change. We receive occasional advice that the contact numbers are incorrect or that organists are no longer available. To view the list, go to www.churchmusicdublin.org/deputy

Remuneration guidelines

The guidelines and recommendations are on the website. The suggested rates continue at the 2009 level. The guidelines are published jointly by Church Music Dublin and the Advisory Committee on Church Music of the Roman Catholic bishops.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions to Soundboard for 2014 are now due. There are online payment details on page 1 and other payment options are provided on the back page. Should you require additional copies, please contact us.

Aidan Greene at Living Worship

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Training and Information

The Ulster Society of Organists and Choirmasters and the Royal School of Church Music invited choral singers to a massed choir which rehearsed and performed Stainer’s Crucifixion on Saturday 5 April in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast (see above). The conductor was Mark Duley, the performance was accompanied by the Cathedral organist Ian Barber and the soloists were David Robertson and Alan Leech. 130 singers from all over Northern Ireland attended.

Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM)

This three-year course covers the skills required by anyone who wishes to be a parish church organist. The syllabus includes organ-tuition (28 individual lessons each year), choir training and liturgy. Students are nominated by a parish and commit to one year at a time. The cost is shared by the student, the parish and the dioceses. There is an organ exam at the end of each year. Liturgy training is provided by the Living Worship course (see below) and there are occasional sessions in choir training and encouraging congregational singing.

One-year Organ Training

This course caters for the person who is new to the organ and would like some basic training. It also is for the parish organist who feels that their skills need updating and refreshing. A personal training plan of 20 lessons is designed for each student and tuition in hymn-playing is an essential component. Assessment at the end of the year is optional. (While this is a standalone course, the student would be well-positioned for subsequent acceptance to the ACCM.)

Living Worship

Three or four Saturday morning sessions in January-February each year led by invited speakers. A very wide range of topics has been covered since the course started in 2006 (see website). Open to organists, singers, clergy – anyone interested in widening their understanding of why and how we worship.

Hearts and Hands and Voices

This course (3 or 4 sessions) caters for a group of students within a local area. The group may comprise those who wish to find out more about the role of the church musician and/ or organists (perhaps playing in a group of parishes) who wish to bring their skills to a new level and gain fresh ideas. The local churches publicise the course and provide the venue and refreshments. Church Music Dublin plans the event and provides tutors and documentation.

Videos

Music, Eucharist & You is a short (9-minute) web-based video describing best practice in positioning music within the Church of Ireland Eucharist. A second video, dealing with leading hymn-singing from the organ, will be released during 2014.

churchmusicdublin.org

Our website contains information on all the above training opportunities and about deputy organists, vacancies, musicians’ remuneration, simplified hymn tunes, and much more. www.churchmusicdublin.org

Email updates

Anyone may sign up to our email list and receive occasional information – not more frequently than once a month. Details on our website.

Above: ACCM students being presented with their certificates on Sunday 24 November 2013 at Christ Church Cathedral (photo: Derek Verso).

L-R: Jonathan Wilson, Year 1 St Ann’s Church; Inga Hutchinson, Year 3 Geashill and Killeigh; The Revd Garth Bunting; Matthew Breen, Year 2 Taney parish; and Stephanie Maxwell, Year 2 Clontarf. Not pictured: Joseph Bradley, Year 2 Newtownmountkennedy and Newcastle.

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David Briggs in Limerick Wednesday 21 May at 8pm

A concert by international organist David Briggs celebrates the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of the Hill organ in St John‘s Cathedral. This is the highlight of the inaugural Limerick Pipe Organ Festival. David Briggs is currently Artist in Residence at St James’ Cathedral, Toronto. Prior to this he held major cathedral appointments in England, including that of Director of Music at Gloucester Cathedral.

Briggs is renowned as a leading exponent of improvisation, and this recital will include organ improvisation. He has also built a significant reputation in the field of orchestral transcriptions – playing well known orchestral music on the organ, often in arrangements that he himself has made.

This is a concert not to be missed, as it is rare to hear three different strands in one programme – organ repertoire, orchestral repertoire played on the organ, and improvisation. The concert will be preceded on Tuesday 20th May by masterclasses on improvisation. See www.lpof.ie for details.

The Limerick Pipe Organ Festival was established under the auspices of the RC Diocese of Limerick to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the installation of the organ in St John’s Cathedral. Tickets: €15, €10; email: info@lpof.ie

Gospel Rising Festival LINDSAY ROUNTREE on the 2014 event in Limerick

Sister Act is probably the first thing that comes to mind when Gospel Music is mentioned in Ireland but ‘Gospel’ is so much more. Gospel music has a huge number of sub-genres from Negro Spirituals to Urban Contemporary, Southern Gospel to Gospel Blues and many, many others. While very different from each other, they are all linked by common messages of hope, joy, love, freedom and the ability to overcome strife. The music is characterised by dominant vocals, often with a strong use of harmony. This year the Gospel Rising Music Festival is in Limerick City from 9 to 11 May. This is a full weekend of workshops and gigs giving everyone attending a chance to really become part of this new music genre in Ireland. There will be a Gospel Music Taster Workshop, run separately, on the Saturday afternoon at 3.30 to give everyone a chance to come and see what it’s all about, sing your heart out, dance with the music and leave feeling full of the energy and excitement that gospel music can give you. Further information and booking: www.gospelrising.com

Gospel Rising 2013, Service on Bray Bandstand, led by Karen Gibson (Photo: Luke Weir)

Douglas Hollick, internationally recognised expert on baroque organ music, returns for the fourth time to guide organists in repertoire performance of all eras from 15-17 August at Glenstal Abbey. In recent years Douglas’s main interest has been in 17th-century North German organ music. He will give individual lessons in a group context, and is also available for individual lessons by private arrangement. Players of all standards are welcome.

Contact Br Cyprian Love OSB cyprian@glenstal.org

Ansgar Wallenhorst, international prizewinning expert in improvisation will work with organists from 11-13 August, on his fifth visit. The theme for this year’s exploration of improvisation will be ‘Dance’, and we are delighted to be joined by Dr Mary Nunan, course director of an MA in

Contemporary Dance Performance at the University of Limerick, who will take a session with organists from the perspective of the dancer. This workshop should be of interest not just to organists but to anyone interested in composition, improvisation or dance.

Contact Fr Columba McCann, OSB columba@glenstal.org

A previous participant wrote: ‘The workshop was fabulous. The environment in Glenstal is unique, extremely peaceful, and the abundance of instruments coupled with great teaching skills make for some excellent learning. Everyone is really friendly, and it was a really enjoyable experience.’

Summer organ workshops at Glenstal

News from FR COLUMBA MCCANN

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Benedict XVI and liturgical music

CAROLINE PIRTLE is the Assistant Director at the Notre Dame Center for Litugy, Indiana. She has written a fine article entitled Benedict XVI and an Incarnational Theology of Liturgical Music.

She identifies that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has effectively changed, even set aside, the debates of past decades surrounding the music of the liturgy with his incarnational theology of liturgical music.

Two extracts from her article:

'For many in parish music ministry today, the 'style' question is a hot-button issue: Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, hymnody, and praise and worship are not simply classifications based on empirical criteria of melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, or timbre. They have come to imply loyalty to a particular camp, an ethos of liturgical music that often extends into defining an ethos of the liturgy itself and even the Church in general. Those who favour chant or 'traditional' hymnody are often viewed as conservative elitists striving to cling onto an antiquated vision of the Church.

Those who gravitate toward 'contemporary' hymns or praise and worship music are conversely labelled free- spirited, progressive liberals struggling to cast off the oppressiveness of a previous era in order to usher the Church into the modern culture. In order to resolve these conflicts, a dialogue must take place that delves more deeply than the question of mere musical style and examines the issue at its root. Ratzinger provides a starting point to this dialogue by stating that “church music is faith that has become a form of culture” (A New Song to the Lord, 94). By adopting this mind set, it becomes clear that a discussion of music and its place in the Church must first begin with a discussion of culture and its relationship to the Church, and it is this relationship which is in need of healing.'

'For those who seek to sing God's praises, the self must be set aside in order to create a space for the Other. This becomes very difficult in a culture which sets such a high value on creativity, individuality, and originality, particularly when it comes to music. Whenever liturgical music becomes an extension of the self (whether as an expression of taste or a demonstration of virtuosic talent), it has ceased to serve its higher purpose. In rediscovering ourselves and the relationship between faith, culture and music, we must seek above all to rediscover Christ, who offered his life in self-emptying love as a song of praise to the Father. In seeking to imitate this act of self-gift, musicians and parishioners alike create an interior space for the One who invites them to join in his perfect song of praise.'

Here is a link to the full article: http://blogs.nd.edu/oblation/2013/03/05/benedict-xvi-and-an-incarnational-theology-of-liturgical-music/

Coming up this summer This year’s Irish Church Music Association Summer School will take place from Thursday to Sunday, 3-6 July, as usual at Maynooth College. The guest director will be David Saint, Organist and Director of Music at St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham. A new special choir, the New Generation Youth Choir, will be launched this year, and will be involved in the preparation for Vespers on Saturday evening, 5 July, at 6pm. Young people will be the leaders. The speaker at Vespers will be Bishop Pat Storey (Meath and Kildare). www.irishchurchmusicassociation.com

Solemn Patronal Mass at St John’s Church, Sandymount (St John before the Latin Gate) and dedication of the restored organ. Sunday 4 May at 6pm. Preacher: Canon Adrian Empey. www.sandymount.weebly.com

Dún Laoghaire Summer Organ Concerts. Sundays from 8 June at 8pm. www.dunlaoghaireorganconcerts.ie

Pipeworks 2014 by MARK DULEY The 2014 Pipeworks Festival is coming up! Starting on 18 June, our geographical adventures take us north of the border, to the Ulster Hall and its mighty Mulholland Organ. The concerto final round (a first for Pipeworks) of the international organ competition will take place there, featuring the Ulster Orchestra. A further innovation is the use of the chapel at St Patrick’s College Maynooth, with its new Ruffatti organ where the 16 quarterfinalists (selected from a record 57 entries) will play.

The jury panel this year includes four Pipeworks first-timers: Dame Gillian Weir (UK), Pier Damiano Peretti (Italy), Todd Wilson (USA) and Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer-Choplin (France). Jon Laukvik (Norway/Germany) returns as jury chair. The recitals and masterclasses to be given by our jurors are not-to-be-missed events for Irish organists. A major theme this year is ‘music of our own time and place’, with a series of innovative workshops for composers, premieres of new organ works, and a collaboration with Crash Ensemble (above).

As always, there is a strong choral element in the programme. The Hilliard Ensemble, disbanding at the end of 2014, will sing twice for us as part of their year-long swansong; Ireland’s own premiere ensemble, Chamber Ireland Choir, will feature, as will Dublin’s three cathedral choirs and the Mornington Singers. A feast of music to celebrate the King of Instruments! www.pipeworksfestival.com

Photograph by Ros Kavanagh

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Bringing light to the world DONNA MAGEE introduces a concert for a very good cause

An evening of music based around the theme of light will take place on Sunday 8 June at 5pm in Sandford Parish Church, Ranelagh. The eclectic programme will feature Donna Magee (acting Director of Music) and friends, as well as the Sandford Parish National School choir and the recently formed music group “Ceol.jam”. The programme will include sacred choral works “O thou the Central Orb” by Charles Wood and Holst’s “Nunc Dimittis”, “Miroir” for organ by the Dutch composer Ad Wammes, and more popular works by SPNS choir and Ceol.jam such as “Any Dream Will Do” and “Star, star” by The Frames.

Admission to the concert is free and there will be a retiring collection in aid of Solas Project, a charity whose vision is to see communities rejuvenated. Solas equips and builds up young people in the Liberties area of South Inner City Dublin to overcome the limitations imposed on them by social and educational disadvantage.

See www.solasproject.ie for more information on Solas.

Also at Sandford: Summer Music at Sandford Parish Church: Fridays from 20 June at 1.10pm. www.sandford.dublin.anglican.org

Robbie had his first music lessons on the piano aged five (in 1934). While his parents were not particularly musical, in those days playing piano was an accepted recreation. He became a chorister at St Patrick’s Cathedral when he was seven, where George Hewson was organist and John Turner Huggard his assistant.

Junior boys sang at weekday services and joined the main choir when ten or eleven years old. Robbie claims that he didn’t have a particularly good voice - he was known as ‘foghorn’. However, he was an exceptionally good sight-reader, winning in-house competitions (with a sixpenny prize), and was a reliable member of the team.

He sang in the cathedral choir until 1947 and studied piano with Thomas Weaving, organist at Christ Church Cathedral, who suggested that Robbie take up the organ with Dr Hewson. Robbie may have been one of the last of Hewson’s choristers to be channelled on to the organ stool. At the RIAM, he won scholarships at all three levels, Junior, Middle and Senior, which allowed him three years free tuition.

His organ-playing career began on Pentecost Sunday 1947, when he was thrown in at the deep end. The organist at Crumlin, Billy Spray, had broken a leg. Could Robbie play in the morning? No preparation; no time to practise!

In October 1949, Robbie was appointed to St James Church, James’s Street at £40 a year. He remained there with Canon Alcock until 1952 when he moved to Powerscourt Church, Enniskerry, taking over from Percy Steede, at £55 a year. Percy had been organist at Powerscourt for 50 years.

There were morning and evening services, so Powerscourt also provided Sunday lunches at many hospitable tables round that widespread parish.

From 1962, pressure of work, the need for more family time and involvement with Civil Defence caused Robbie to give up the Enniskerry post and go freelance. He played in many churches, especially in the Bray/Greystones area.

He joined the choir in Christ Church, Bray in 1962 under Frank Deegan, and was organist from 1965 to 1970, also playing at St Paul’s. (The Christ Church organ, currently being restored, is a three-manual Conacher and, Robbie says, one of the finest that he ever played.)

Robbie’s other life was in insurance and he remarks that it is a curious fact that in those days insurance companies seemed to attract organists. (Perhaps this would be an interesting field for some social research!)

In 1976, Albert Colin, organist in Kilbride, became ill, and, following a request from

Canon Albert Stokes, Robbie served there on a voluntary basis until 2000, when his sight began to fail.

As a member of the united parishes of Kilbride and Powerscourt, he often played in both churches and fulfilled many other functions, not least as a very convincing Santa Claus.

Robbie is not impressed with some recent trends in church music, being especially disappointed with the modern-language psalter. He feels that the shorter sentences have made the psalms more difficult to sing. His other horror is the alteration of words in established hymns for reasons of political correctness.

An excellent raconteur, he has vast experience to draw on, more than 50 years of it; 60 if you count his time as a chorister. He can entertain a listener for hours with tales of frightful organs with missing keys and wheezy stops, of eccentric organists, deaf singers, country concerts, and of the vagaries of brides who choose strange hymns for weddings such as “Lead kindly light, amid the encircling gloom”!

An organist’s lifelong work Judy Cameron talks to ROBERT CROWTHER

The choir of St Polycarp's, Finaghy, Belfast (director, Simon Neill) will pay a return visit to Westminster Abbey in

August. The choir recently received a £6,000 grant from the Friends of Cathedral Music, which enabled them to build a new choir vestry and office and a music library.

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When Blánaid Murphy, Director of the Pro-Cathedral Palestrina choir, approached me in August last year and proposed that we think of a way to celebrate the end of the Year of Faith, I couldn’t resist! Over coffee, we decided that it would need to be something that would focus on the Church as a people - Pobail Dé - rather than the church as an institution.

Our vision was to bring singers from church choirs all over Dublin, all walks of life, all ages, all levels of musical ability and provide them with the opportunity to sing together and feel the power of their collective voices. We wanted to lift the spirits – of both those who would sing and those who would listen to them.

We discussed repertoire and kept returning to one piece: Handel’s Messiah. Messiah, of course, holds a very special place in the hearts of Dubliners and in many ways it is considered a Dublin oratorio. And so was born Project Messiah!

The challenge was to bring over 100 ‘random’ voices together to learn Handel’s oratorio in eight weeks and then perform it with professional singers and orchestra. But would anyone else be interested or would they come to All Hallows for that first rehearsal? Well, come they did, and so began an amazing musical journey.

They braved dark, wet and windy Thursdays, they battled road works, but it was chiefly their willingness to take a risk and walk into that first rehearsal that was most commendable. We saw confidence grow week by week. One lady arrived the first night and shared that she had taken a panic attack the evening before thinking about

what she had taken on. But she came on her own despite her nerves, and the following Thursday she bounded in, full of confidence, having looked forward all week to the second rehearsal!

During those eight weeks, under Blánaid’s tutelage, the singers were motivated, inspired and gelled together wonderfully. They were joyful rehearsals. This was a special group- we heard not a solitary complaint or moan during the entire project. On 23 November we received a most warm welcome in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Drimnagh and Project Messiah Choir gave its inaugural concert. It was a very special performance for singers and audience alike.

We have been inundated with requests from the singers to make this an annual event and we would dearly love this to happen. In the meantime we are organising a choral workshop for church choir singers on Saturday 17th May in All Hallows, Drumcondra. Do come along- and Raise your Voices - Lift your Hearts!

Deirdre Seaver is a professional singer and harpist. She is cantor at St Mary's, Star of the Sea Church, Sandymount, where she directs both the adult and children's parish choirs. She also cantors on a regular basis at Mount Argus Church. Deirdre works as a Liturgist/Liturgical Music Leader for the national and international Assemblies and Chapters of various religious groups. deirdreseaver@eircom.net

Project Messiah DEIRDRE SEAVER describes a community choral initiative for church choirs

Simplified hymn tune arrangement Below is a further reprint from the 1986 publication 75 Well Known Hymn Tunes. The tune Lasst uns erfreuen is set to three hymns in Church Hymnal: All creatures of our God and King (No.24), The whole bright world rejoices now (No.274) and Ye watchers and ye holy ones (No.476). There are further simplified arrangements on the website.

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SOUNDBOARD is published by Church Music Dublin

which is appointed by the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough to support and resource music and musicians in local churches ISSUE 31: MAY 2014 Edited & designed by Fraser Wilson Photography by FW, named contributors, & public domain sources Correspondence and material for future issues should be sent to soundboard@churchmusicdublin.org

Views expressed in signed articles and letters are not necessarily those of the editor or the Executive Committee Chair Archdeacon Ricky Rountree Secretary Mrs Jacqueline Mullen, 23 Ludford Park, Ballinteer, Dublin 16 Telephone +353 (0)1 298 8923

email info@churchmusicdublin.org website www.churchmusicdublin.org

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St Bartholomew’s Choir at Prague Christmas Market

FEIS CEOIL ORGAN RESULTS (congratulations to all!) Fitzgerald Trophy: Adam Collins; Sr Catherine McAuley Cup: Matthew Breen; Stanford Prize: Matthew Breen; Senior Organ (Fitzgerald Woodworth Cup): Robbie Carroll (1st); Olwyn Feely (2nd); Junior Organ (Sarah Cooper Cup): Thomas Maxwell (1st); Eoin Casey (2nd)

ORGANISTS ON THE MOVE Helen Beardsley O’Toole has been appointed organist at Powerscourt (Enniskerry) Church. Gerard Downey, former Pro-Cathedral organ scholar, is interim director of music at All Saints’ Church, Grangegorman. David O’Shea is in Cambridge on study leave and plans to be back in Dublin in mid-2014.

WANTED: Up to 30 copies of the Irish Chant Book, in reasonable condition. Contact Gerard Downey, All Saints’, Grangegorman, Dublin 7. downeyg@tcd.ie / 086 179 7711

The music at St Bartholomew's, Clyde Road, Dublin continues to go from strength to strength. Having recovered from our Holy Week services, culminating in a performance of Mozart's ‘Coronation Mass’ with orchestra on Easter Day, upcoming events include the girls and men singing Evensong in Nun's Cross Parish Church, Killiskey on Sunday 25 May. There will be an Ascension Day Eucharist at 8pm on 29 May and Corpus Christi will be celebrated at 7pm on Thursday 19 June, followed by the usual parish BBQ. We will give our mid-Summer concert on Sunday 22 June at 7pm. This will include some lighter musical items, suitable for the fantastic weather we will (of course) be enjoying, and will be followed by sparkling wine and canapés in the church ground. Hope to see you there! Having achieved an amazing four gold awards in last year’s round of RSCM 'Voice for Life' exams, we will continue to train our choristers to these high standards with further exams in October. Tristan Russcher - music@stbarthomews.ie