As spine-tingling experiences go, it's hard to beat being part of a large, mixed-voice choir giving its all in a major work such as Beethoven's Choral Symphony or Brahms's German Requiem. After a good concert, choristers are high as kites and waft homewards in a happy haze that has none of the unpleasant side-effects of more conventional stimulants.
Add the enthusiasm of youth to the heady mix of good music and fast-flowing adrenalin and the atmosphere in St Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork should be positively electric next Saturday night, when the Irish Youth Choir and the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Choir give a joint gala concert. The 70-strong Irish choir will perform Hummel's Mass in B Flat with the Irish Sinfonietta. The Newfoundland choir, which has 200 singers aged between eight and 18 and is making its first visit to Ireland, will sing traditional airs of Newfoundland and Ireland. It will also perform at venues in Dublin, Kilkenny Waterford, Limerick, and Galway.
The Irish Youth Choir was set up in 1982 by Dr Geoffrey Spratt and Aiveen Kearney with the aim of fostering the Irish choral tradition by providing a consistent flow of new talent. They also established an annual summer school for budding choral conductors.
The choir draws its membership from young people aged 17 to 29 in the 32 counties. The singers - varying in number between 70 and 120 depending on the project in hand - gain the opportunity to sing major works from the large-scale, mixed-voice repertoire with the full backing of professional voice coaches, conductors and orchestras. Getting such a geographically spread group of singers together for regular rehearsals would be impossible so the choir meets once a year for a week of intensive rehearsals culminating in a public performance.
The rehearsal week is definitely not for wimps as the choristers are practising from early morning until late in the evening. "It is a crazy week, but in the best possible way," says alto Eileen O'Brien from Cork, who joined the choir in 1996. She is taking a week's holiday from work to participate in this year's programme. "We work extremely hard but we have a lot of fun in the process. We also learn a lot but Geoff puts it across in a very easy and accessible way that's relevant whether or not you know a lot about music."
Bass David Scott from Dublin joined the choir in 2002. He has just finished the Leaving Cert and would ultimately like to study opera in London. "The music-making side of the choir is terrific and I love the buzz of the performance. But I've also made a lot of very good friends. The whole group gets on exceptionally well together," he says.
Conor McBride, who sings tenor, is one of a number of choir members from Killorglin, Co Kerry. "One of our teachers, Muireann Joy, used to be in the choir herself and she encourages us to join," he says. "It's a great opportunity to perform with such a big group and in such prestigious venues. There's also a very good social side to the choir."
Auditions are held annually for potential new members but the choir's CEO, Margaret O'Sullivan, plays down the intimidating a-word.
The choir is looking for potential good singers, not ready made Pavarottis, she stresses. "If it comes across, through simple vocal tests, that a candidate has a good strong voice, can hold a pitch and demonstrates an ability to understand simple musical instruction, that person will be considered for a place," she says.
Geoffrey Spratt is still the IYC's artistic director and even after 22 years in charge his enthusiasm is undiminished. "It's a great week," he says. "You might be tired at the end of it but the tiredness comes from elation, not from exhaustion.
"The young people really enter into the spirit of the experience. They want to give the best performance possible from a technical point of view, but with this group there is always that extra, indefinable something - call it excitement, energy or enthusiasm - which makes the performances come alive. The choir is a very positive experience for the young people - musically, socially and emotionally."
"We try to bring the Irish Youth Choir to different destinations each year for the rehearsal course so they have an impact on many different communities around the country," says Margaret O'Sullivan. "Touring abroad has proven more difficult, mainly due to the lack of consistent funding,"
The choir currently receives some financial support from Aeolus International, whose founder, Fergal Whelan, is a former choir member.
However, more funds are needed and if there is a willing corporate sponsor out there the Irish Youth Choir would happily sing its thanks - in perfect harmony.
The Irish Youth Choir can be contacted at CNC/Association of Irish Choirs, Drinan Street, Cork. Tel: 021-4312296; fax: 021-4962457; e-mail: info@cnc.ie; website: http://www.cnc.ie