Recent Performances

4th December 2011
National Concert Hall

A Christmas Song and Dance Festival

Once again, the ever professional young performers of the Billie Barry Stage School brought their charm and style to the festivities with a delightful number from Half a Sixpence and some classic Christmas show-stoppers. Niamh Murray delighted young and old with her story telling and her golden voice, whether singing with Celine Kelly at the piano, or with the Royal Irish Acadamy of Music Wind Ensemble conducted by Fergus O’Carroll, and indeed, your own Dublin County Choir accompanied on the organ by John Dexter and conducted by Colin Block. The RIAM band performed a selection of carols with an infectious energy that had all the toes in the house tapping. We sang some beautiful old Christmas favourites and some new favorites as well, and the weather this year allowed safe passage for the fans, friends, and families of all. Our thanks go out to them, and to our dedicated musical team, the composers, and each and every performer!

12th November 2011
Church of St John the Evangelist, Ballinteer

Britten: St Nicolas

The story and legend of St Nicolas of Myra according to composer Benjamin Britten was brought to life by a dedicated and talented corps of singers, instrumentalists, soloists, leaders, conductors, and teachers of all ages in the beautiful acoustic of St John’s Church, Ballinteer, with tenor Jacek Wislocki singing the part of St Nicolas.

16th April 2011
National Concert Hall

Together~Ensemble~Le Cheile

For this spring concert, the Dublin County Choir performed a joint concert with le Choeur Polyphonique de Lévis, our friends from Québec, Canada. It was a very multicultural program with classics in Irish, English, French, Latin and Italian and traditional songs from both sides of the Atlantic. Our director, Colin Block, arranged a very special anthem for this concert: “I Believe / J’imagine”, the theme from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics for orchestra, choir, and soloists with words in French, Irish, and English, just for this occasion. Good times were had by all. Merci beaucoup, le Choeur Polyphonique, for the music, laughter and friendship!

5th December 2010
National Concert Hall

A Christmas Song and Dance Festival

5 December 2010 saw this year’s edition of the DCC’s popular Christmas special, featuring our longtime guest artists, soprano Niamh Murray, and the Billie Barry Children. It was the second time we did both matinee and evening versions of the show, and there was a great showing by our devoted audience, many of whom came to the concert hall despite the ice and snow. We promise better weather next year!

24th April 2010
National Concert Hall

Ingoldsby: Magnificat

This is a setting for choir and orchestra of the text in Irish (Mórann m’anam an Tiarna….) of the great Marian canticle. The work lasts about 7 minutes and is in a modern but accessible idiom. The composer, Brian Ingoldsby, sings bass in the choir, which is giving the work its first performance in this concert.

Beethoven: Mass in C

Beethoven was following in the footsteps of Haydn in this Mass setting. In 1806 he was commissioned to compose it by Haydn’s former employer, Prince Esterhazy, for the name-day of his wife; by this time Haydn (who had done this work in several previous years) was now elderly and retired. Though similar in scale and form to Haydn’s  settings for that occasion, it is distinctively Beethoven. It includes some glorious passages for the quartet of soloists as well as fine writing for the choir.

Rossini: Stabat mater

This is a setting in ten movements of the famous medieval hymn describing the anguish of Mary as she sees her divine son on the cross. While not on the very grand scale of Dvořák’s setting (which the choir performed a few years ago), it is nonetheless a considerable work. The great composer of operas draws upon all his skills in that genre to produce memorable tunes, and shows that he could match the best symphonic composers as well. This is a good opportunity to hear a live performance of a work that doesn’t often feature on the Concert Hall stage.