THOUSANDS OF children sang their hearts out at the RDS in Dublin yesterday, with works ranging from Gregorian chants to songs about crocodiles, on the second day of the Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil.
It was choir day at the classical music competition and 40 primary and post-primary school choirs were battling it out to be crowned Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil School Choir of the Year.
The concert hall in the RDS became an eclectic ballroom as choirs provided their own interpretations of songs such as Every Breath You Take, Black is the Colour and Over the Rainbow.
The opening day saw performances from a further 10 choirs. Feis Ceoil chief executive Laura Gilsenan said entries in the choir category were significantly up on 2011. Some 40 choirs took part last year compared with this year’s field of 50.
She said it may be partly explained by the attractive prize money – €3,000 for the winning school choir and €1,000 in the each of the adult, primary and post-primary categories.
“Entries overall are slightly up this year which is good because we weren’t sure how the recession would affect numbers,” she said.
“But it seems that parents are still prioritising music and music lessons if their children are interested and willing to practise.”
More than 5,000 classical musicians from across the island are competing at this year’s festival, which began on Tuesday. The 11-day feis, which is open to the public, features 180 individual competitions. Today’s categories include the violin, viola, cello and harp while wind instruments such as the flute, oboe and saxophone will dominate the weekend competitions.
This evening, solo singers will compete for the Rathmines and Rathgar Cup by singing an item from a light opera or musical comedy.
The winners of 10 senior singing competitions which take place during the feis will be eligible to compete for the Gervase Elwes Memorial Cup on Friday, March 30th – the last night of the festival.
More than half a million people have taken part in the competitions since Feis Ceoil began in 1896.
Feis Ceoil Latest Results
Oliver O’Brien Award: New Dublin Voices
Florence Culwick Memorial Cup: New Dublin Voices
Ladies’ Choirs: The Park Singers
Mixed Voice Choirs: New Dublin Voices
Youth Choir – Three part (minimum): WIT Youth Choir
Junior Vocal Duet (A): 1st: Erin Ward Connie Tobin; 2nd: Siobhan Brady/Molly Buckingham
Junior Vocal Duet (B): 1st: Eimear Harper Emily Davis; 2nd: Lucy Cooney Megan Ward; VHC: Georgia Carr Emily Noon; HC: Evin Durkin Ferdia Durkin
Young Cup: 1st: Gemma Ní Bhriain; 2nd: Seán Óg Boylan
John A Pigott Memorial Cup: Maire Carroll
Mrs MT Heneghan Memorial Cup: Iuliu Teodor Radu
Junior Pianoforte Solo (C): 1st: Emily Crowley; 2nd: Evan Pyne; VHC: Grace Nally; HC: Annabelle Ponsonby; HC: Jane Brazil
Youth Choir – Two Part: 1st: WIT Junior Choir; 2nd: Sacred Heart School Tullamore; VHC: The Penston Vocal Academy Choir; HC: St Finian’s College Junior Choir; HC: Belvedere College Junior Choir
Cóir Iarbhunscoile – Trí Nó Ceithre Pháirt: Capella
Alice Yoakley Quirk Cup: 1st: Wesley College Chamber Choir; 2nd: Capella; VHC: Ursuline Singers; VHC: Belvedere College Choir with Mount Sackville; HC: Loreto School Choir Navan; HC: St Finian’s College Choir
Sacred Music: Post-primary Schools Choirs: 1st: Capella; 2nd: Rathdown School Senior Choir
Junior Choirs – Unison: 1st: Truagh Youth Choir; 2nd: WIT Junior Choir; VHC: Alexandra College Junior School Choir
Cóir Aon Ghutha: Gaelscoil Phort Láirge
School Choirs – Unison: Sacred Heart Tullamore
Primary Schools Choirs – Two part: 1st: St Brigid’s National School; 2nd: Alexandra College Junior School Choir; VHC: Notre Dame Junior School; HC: St Cronan’s Senior National School
