FCJ ready for sold-out Opera House show!
WHILE selling out The National Opera House can be a tall order for even some of the most established acts, students from FCJ Secondary School in Bunclody will be performing to a full house on Sunday as they celebrate the 200th anniversary of the FCJ order in Europe.
The students will be joined by counterparts from Mount St Charles Academy from Rhode Island in the US, a school which FCJ has enjoyed links with for the past 25 years, taking part in several exchanges seeing students traverse the Atlantic.
‘We’re delighted that it’s sold out,’ said FCJ Deputy Principal Brendan Daly, one of the brains behind the event. ‘We’ve had this notion of doing a big concert for years and we were delighted to be able to sell out such a prestigious venue as the National Opera House. On the night, we will have performances from our own school band, along with the Mount St Charles choral group and bands and a number of special guests and past pupils.’
Among those scheduled to perform are Des Willoughby, Anne Marie Sheridan, Clare Kavanagh and the world renowned Anthony Kearns of The Irish Tenors who, remarkably is set to make his Opera House debut.
‘Anthony has performed in the likes of Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House, but he has never performed in the Opera House in his home county,’ said Mr Daly. ‘We’re really looking forward to it, and I think he is too.’
In total the night will see over 275 musicians and singers taking part under the Directorship of Dale Hennessy and Marc Blanchette from the US, and it looks set to be a wonderful celebration for everyone associated with FCJ.