Members Directory

This new choir is not church based and is a competition and concert choir directed by Blanaid Murphy. Blanaid is a very well-known and respected choral director and she is aiming for the very highest excellence in choral music. Participating in a choir is all about teamwork and Blanaid is keen to develop the choir as a team and develop each of the teenagers so that they reach their maximum singing potential. Consequently, the Continuum Youth Choir has been set up to retain these very accomplished teenagers as a group.

Continuum has already performed in St Anne’s Church, Dublin in December 2018 and City Hall Dublin in March 2019.

In 2018, the singers brought home no less than two gold awards from the Mayo Choral Festival. The choir regularly organises social events and puts a big emphasis on being part of a vibrant community of adult singers who want to challenge themselves musically.

In 2020, Cór Fingal is preparing for a Scandinavian concert tour.

The choir was formed by RTÉ in August 2018 to give opportunities for teenage singers to move on from treble to four-part harmony singing (SATB). In January 2022 the choir transferred with the National Symphony Chorus and Cór na nÓg to become part of the NCH choral family.

Many current members were previously in Cór na nÓg and others sing with the Irish Youth Choir and school choirs. Concerts have included performances with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, New Music Dublin Festival 2019,2020 and 2022, Pipeworks Festival 2019 and a TV appearance on the Ray D’Arcy Show.

Rehearsal are highly focused, including sectionals and regular voice coaching, but there is great emphasis on the enjoyment of learning and performing too. Choral singing is all about teamwork, self-expression, fun and joy in the music and we are really excited to be continuing our musical journey together - it’s OUR choir!

For enquiries about joining, please contact Lesley – lesley.bishop@nch.ie 087 247 2993

Rehearsal Times: during term time - Saturday 11.30am-1.30pm plus concert dates as required

Since moving from RTÉ to the National Concert Hall in February 2022 , with the National Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Chorus and Cór Linn youth choir, we are enjoying rehearsals in our new home and opportunities to take part in exciting projects and concerts.

We meet in the NCH twice a week during term time and perform regularly, with Christmas always being particularly busy! The choir has sung in hundreds of events, working with guest musicians of the highest calibre, appearing on RTÉ TV and Radio as well as performances with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

Our Team provides first-class choral tuition in a relaxed and happy atmosphere where young singers can develop both vocally and socially. The repertoire is varied with the best music from all genres. Many members continue their singing in Cór Linn youth choir and as adults, life-long friendships are formed and many have returned as Cór staff.

Singing is not just a hobby for us, it is a vital part of who we are, and as we head into our futures, we go confidently, knowing that we have been given, literally, Voices for Life.

If you would like to know more about joining us, please contact Lesley - lesley.bishop@nch.ie 087 247 2993

Rehearsal Times: during term time - Wednesday 5pm-6.30pm; Saturday 9.30am-11am plus concert dates as required

We perform two major concerts annually, one at Christmas and the other in the Spring. The choir

takes pride in singing many of the great choral masterpieces, including Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s

B Minor Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Faure’s Requiem and Haydn’s Creation. We

have also premiered new works by leading contemporary composers, including Bob Chilcott’s On

Christmas Night and Jonathan Dove’s Arion and the Dolphin.

In 2005, the Society received the Santa Cecilia Choral Award from the Vocal Heritage Association of

Ireland in recognition of its contribution to Dublin’s cultural life since 1898. In 2006, we were

pleased to be chosen as the Ryder Cup Choir at the opening of the tournament in the K Club, Co.

Kildare. In 2016, the choir participated in A Nation’s Voice, a celebration of the 1916 rising,

comprising about 1,000 voices.

In 2017, Culwick performed at the Canta Al Mar International Choral Festival in Calella, Spain, along

with many other choirs from around the world.

In 2018, to mark its 120th year, we commissioned a piece by the Irish composer, Sean Doherty,

based on the Brendan Kennelly poem the Happy Grass. It was premiered by Culwick at the National

Concert Hall in December of that year.

The choir, which has over 70 members, was formed to create a community of people who love to sing and enjoy the many health benefits associated with choral singing. There are no auditions.

Rehearsals are held in Dalkey on Wednesday afternoons, under the direction of Derek Verso, whose emphasis is on enjoyment and the love of singing. Members also get together informally for line practice.

The choir gives an annual summer concert in Dalkey and a Christmas concert to support a local charity. We also sing in a local care home, Dalkey library, a local church and have participated in Limerick Sings festival on two occasions.

Our History

Diva Voces is a four part female voice choir founded in 2006 by Liz

Powell to provide a choral voice for women singers. Many of the original

members are still in the choir but we have grown substantially since our

beginnings. Ruaidhrí O’Dalaigh took over as musical director from 2012

to 2017. We are now 60 women strong - and going from strength to

strength under the direction of Duncan Brickenden who took over from

Ruaidhrí in 2017. We rehearse on Tuesday evenings in central Dublin.

Our Standards and Our Repertoire

Our aim is to achieve musical excellence while maintaining an

atmosphere which is always welcoming, friendly and inclusive - focussed

on musical proficiency but always allowing for great fun and laughter. We

sing in four part harmony and have developed an extensive repertoire

and a very faithful following. Our repertoire ranges from classical and

sacred music adapted for SSAA choirs to traditional Irish music, gospel,

swing, folk and popular music.

Our Aims and Objectives

Diva Voces has a commitment whenever possible to supporting women

artists and performers and to commissioning pieces from female

composers for the choir. We are in the process of relaunching our policy

of outreach to different voices and communities in Dublin

Our History of Performances

We perform twice yearly, with Christmas and summer concerts held in

central Dublin. In 2018 the choir performed a new work composed by

Georgia Johnson, based on the work of the renowned poet Paula

Meehan. In 2019 we were commissioned by the Sisters of the La

Retraite Order to record a piece composed by one of their sisters for the

congregation.

Divas have also entered and won in several choral competitions - with

prizes awarded in 2010 and 2015. In March 2018 we came first place in

two categories in the Limerick choral festival.

In 2018 we performed in Holy Trinity Church Westport to help raise

funds for their organ repair. In 2023 we fulfilled our pre Covid plan of

shared performances in Dublin and in Limerick with the American

women’s choir Cantigas with the centrepiece the Irish premiere of a

poem by the early 20th century social activist Constance Gore-Booth set

to music by the renowned contemporary composer Sean Doherty

Join Us!

We hold auditions twice yearly in September and January. We are

always happy to welcome good singers to our choir. Sight reading is a

definite bonus but not a prerequisite. We do have a strong commitment

to our standard of performance - so we require regular attendance at

weekly rehearsal and a commitment to practice between rehearsals as

well as a commitment to the tradition of friendliness and mutual support.

If you are interested in joining the choir, please email us at

divavoceschoir@gmail.com. We will give you a warm welcome!