Choir Featured on "A Celtic Sojourn"

The November 1st edition of WGBH Boston's "A Celtic Sojourn" programme, the Choir and Vox Humana were featured in the piece on the 2008 Boston Irish Film Festival. The track played on the programme was "Noel Nouvelet" from the soundtrack of the movie.

Arts Council publishes report on Choral Singing

The Arts Council has published a new report on choral singing in Ireland. Entitled Raising Your Voice: Towards a policy for the development of choral music in Ireland, the report has discoved that there are more than 10,000 people singing in over 400 groups across Ireland. The report found people of all generations engaging in choral singing and a strong volunteer spirit. The Arts Council plans to adopt a new strategic approach to develop the practice of choral singing in the country based on the findings of the report. Strategies will include prioritising the professional development of conductors and singers, developing a choral resource organisation, publishing and recording choral music and encouraging the commissioning of new work.

Visit the Arts Council website at www.artscouncil.ie or link directly to the report here Raising Your Voice.

Vox Humana wins Boston Film Festival Award

The 2008 Boston Irish Film Festival which takes place later this month, has honoured Vox Humana with the Director's Choice award. The citation for the reads as follows:

"The new film from veteran Irish filmmaker Bob Quinn tells the poignant story of Luke, a homeless man seeking redemption after the accidental death of his daughter. Luke is drawn to the Galway Baroque Singers after encountering one of its members who bears a striking resemblance to his daughter. Quinn comments pointedly on the plight of the homeless and disaffected and the film’s gritty, utilitarian style is nicely underscored the real and unaffected performance of the film’s lead, Luke Cauldwell. The heavenly sounds of the 70-member Galway Baroque Singers dominate throughout and the emotions they stir are rich and layered. Quinn’s mix of the sacred and the profane makes for a touching and heartfelt film which we are proud to honor with this year’s Director’s Choice Award."

Vox Humana receives its festival screening on Friday, November 14th at the Harvard Film Archive.

Galway Baroque Singers to perform in Northern Italy

On Thursday, October 16th, the Galway Baroque Singers jet out on a 5-day tour of northern Italy. While there, the choir will be performing in the historic cities of Soave and Verona. Between performances, we will be finding the time to take in the sights of Lake Garda, Sirmione, Venice and Milan, sample the wines and cuisine of northern Italy, and make fans of, and friends with, the Soavesi and Veronesi.

Performances:

October 17th - Chiesa Santa Maria dei Domenica, Soave

October 18th - Cantina di Soave Auditorium, Soave

October 19th - Mass service - Basilica di Santa Anastasia, Verona 

The choir is grateful for the financial support provided by Culture Ireland.