Music

The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin

The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin enjoys an enviable reputation as one of Ireland's finest choirs. Tracing its origins to 1493 with the founding of the choir school, the cathedral choir has always been highly regarded in Dublin's musical life and took part in the first performance of Handel's Messiah in Dublin in 1742. With the largest repertoire of any cathedral choir in the country, covering more than five centuries and including many works commissioned especially for it, the present choir is a mixed ensemble of around eighteen adult singers. In addition to singing at three cathedral services a week, the choir is in demand for television and radio broadcasts in both the UK and Ireland, including BBC Radio Three’s iconic Choral Evensong and most recently appearing on RTE’s Sunday Worship programme and a special RTE Radio broadcast on St Patrick’s Day. In recent years the choir has also recorded a number of CDs, including an award-winning collection of Christmas Carols and two critically acclaimed CDs, Meditations and Remembrances, of the works of contemporary composer Francis Pott, and I Love Alll Beauteous Things, a disc of the choral and organ music of Herbert Howells, recorded and released in 2008 to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the composer's death. The choir has toured extensively in Ireland, England and France. It has performed in concerts and at services in New Zealand, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia, and in Westminster Abbey.

The choir has toured extensively in Ireland, England and France. It has performed in concerts and at services in New Zealand, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia, and in Westminster Abbey. In the summer of 2005, the choir undertook a week's residency at St Paul's Cathedral in London, and in February 2006 it undertook a highly successful tour of the United States of America, including concerts and services at St Thomas' Church, Fifth Avenue, New York and Wahington National Cathedal. Most recently, the choir travelled to Loreto in Italy to perform Messiah at the invitation of the Associazione Rassegna Lauretana di Musica Sacra.

For further information on the choir, contact Ian Keatley, Director of Music, +353-1-6778099.

Current Choir Personnel (2012-2013)

Christ Church Cathedral Girls Choir

Christ Church Cathedral Girls’ Choir, established in 1995, is one of the first choirs of its kind in Irish cathedrals. The choir was set up in order to provide girls with the opportunity to receive a musical education previously only available to boys. Consisting of around eighteen choristers aged between nine and seventeen, the choir is now an integral part of the five hundred year-old tradition of music in Dublin’s oldest cathedral. Membership of the Girls’ Choir instils discipline and high standards that are valuable assets in later life. The Girls rehearse twice weekly, sing Evensong every Wednesday with the Choral Scholars and frequently join forces with the Cathedral Choir. All the girls follow the Voice for Life training scheme of the Royal School of Church Music and many have achieved success in the RSCM's bronze and silver awards examinations. Choristers are drawn from various schools in the Dublin area and membership, which is free of charge, is open to girls of all religious traditions or none. Selection is on the basis of a voice trial and successful choristers receive expert training and voice tuition. The Girls’ Choir regularly gives concerts in the Cathedral and other Dublin venues as well as undertaking tours around the country. It has also performed on RTE Television and at National and International Choral Festivals. Its most recent trip, in April 2009, was at the invitation of Rouen Cathedral, as part of the Courant d'Art festival of contemporary music. Parents of girls interested in auditioning for a place in the choir are invited to contact the Ian Keatley, Director of Music on +353 (0)1-6778099 for further details.