Venue: Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick
Date: Saturday 29th May at 3.00 p.m.
Works: Requiem - Duruflé
with Zadok the Priest - Handel
Ave Verum - Elgar
Ave Maria - Elgar
Locus Iste - Bruckner
Bogoroditse Devo - Rachmaninov
Cantique de Jean Racine - Fauré
Conductor: Mark Armstrong
Soloists: David Adams – Organ
Polly Ballard – Cello
Cora Newman-Riley – Mezzo Soprano
Philip O’Reilly – Baritone
Tickets: Admission free of charge. To reserve a seat e-mail info@tallaghtchoralsociety.net
Tallaght Choral Society was formed in 1967, when Tallaght was still a small village at the foot of the Dublin mountains. A group of singers came together under the direction of Fr. Donal Sweeney OP to form a church choir based in the Dominican Priory. Under a succession of music directors, the small church choir gradually took on the mantle of a choral society and now has a membership of over 100. The current music director Mark Armstrong was appointed in 2002 and under his baton the society has continued to flourish and now has a reputation as one of Ireland’s strongest choral societies.
The link with the Tallaght community remains strong, especially with the Dominicans. In December 2008 the choir performed a selection of Christmas music in order to raise funds for the Loop System for the hearing impaired which is now fully operational. The Choir also sang a mass in the Priory in September and sang at the Carol Service there in December.
Tallaght Choral Society has participated in many RTE productions and its successful collaborations have included works with the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra, the R.I.A.M orchestra, Belfast Philharmonic Choir and Liverpool Welsh Choral Union. In May 2007, it was part of a 500 strong choir performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gerhard Markson. On Christmas Eve, 2007, the society was invited to sing for the RTE televised Mass from Mount Argus church. Their most recent performance was Mozart’s Requiem and a selection of pieces by Handel in the National Concert Hall in January which was well received by a full house.
The upcoming performance in Glenstal Abbey features Duruflé’s Requiem along with other assorted pieces and promises to be a memorable afternoon. The Requiem is based on Gregorian themes and as the monks in Glenstal are word-renowned for their plainsong the Abbey would certainly seem to be an obvious place to perform it. There is a great organ with fabulous acoustics – what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
