Choir brings new music to Christmas

THE Dingle New Music Choir and Orchestra will perform two concerts as part of their annual Christmas schedule.

The choir and orchestra have been in rehearsal since September to bring their new repertoire to audiences at Pobal le Cheile in Clochán /Bhréanainn and St. Mary’s Church in Dingle where they had their first public appearance in 2014. For the concerts they will be joined by youth choirs from Clochán Bhréanainn National School and Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne.

Part of the work of the choir is to develop new music. Gabor has composed a three-movment piece for choir and orchestra in which “the first movement is the carol ‘Christ Was Born Today’ set to an ambiguous melody, reflecting an older age, followed by ‘Rug Mhuire’, a Kerry hymn for voice only, and the third and final movement is a triumphant and dramatic setting of the poem ‘An Crann Chuilinn’ (The Holly Tree) by Orna Ní Dhuinnsléibhe.

Poems from Caoimhín O Cinnéide (RIP) and his daughter Daerina Ní Chinnéide will feature in the concerts as well as the complete Christmas Carol by Gustav Holst and Handel’s Water Music.

The concert in Halla le Cheile, Cloghane/Brandon, will take place on Sunday, December 17, at 4pm and the Dingle concert will be in St. Mary’s church on Friday, December 22 at 8pm.

Tickets for the concerts cost €10 and are for sale from Mac Domhnaill Dental, Denny Street, Tralee, Grogan’s Pharmacy, Spa Road, Dingle, Grey’s Lane Bistro, Dingle Bookshop, Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, Halla le Cheile and Brandon National School.