23.01.2013
Christ Church Cathedral Girls’ Choir Commissioned
Christ Church Cathedral’s new Girls’ Choir was commissioned on Sunday January 20 when the choir sang its first service of the year. The joyful occasion came after months of hard work and commitment on the part of the 15 girls and the cathedral’s music department.
The commissioning marks the revival of the tradition of the Girls’ Choir which was first established in 1995. At the time it was one of the first choirs of its kind in Irish cathedrals and was set up to provide girls with the opportunity to receive a musical education previously only available to boys. The choir has been relatively quiet in recent times. However, in the last few months the cathedral’s musical director, Ian Keatley, successfully recruited a full compliment of choristers who performed with great assurance on Sunday.
The choristers are aged between nine and 17. They rehearse twice a week and soon will be singing Evensong every Wednesday. They will also regularly join forces with the Cathedral Choir. It is hoped that the girls will follow the Voice for Life training scheme of the Royal School of Church Music.
Choristers are drawn from various schools in the Dublin area and membership, which is free of charge, is open to girls of all religious traditions or none. Selection is on the basis of a voice trial and successful choristers receive expert training and voice tuition. Parents of girls interested in auditioning for a place in the choir can contact Ian Keatley, Director of Music on (01) 6778099 for further details.