17.02.2016
Come and Sing With the Cathedral Choir and Raise Funds for Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza
Christ Church Cathedral is issuing an invitation to parish choirs throughout Dublin and Glendalough to ‘Come and Sing’ The Crucifixion by John Stainer with the Cathedral Choir during Holy Week. While parish choirs can enjoy the experience of singing in the magnificent cathedral on Monday March 21, they will also be raising funds for the solar panel project in Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
All parish choirs are invited to ‘Come and Sing’ and individuals who sing may also join. They are asked to register their interest in advance and music will be provided to them to enable them to practice. There will be a rehearsal involving the choirs at 5.30 pm on Monday March 21 prior to the performance which will begin at 8.00 pm.
“We will be setting the scene for Holy Week with by singing this wonderful piece,” explains Christ Church’s Residential Priest Vicar, the Revd Garth Bunting. “As we’re beginning our Holy Week journey on Monday night we will be remembering the people of Gaza who are living in a difficult situation. We want people to come and sing but we also want people to come and support the performance.”
Garth hopes that the performance will raise €10,000 towards installing solar panels at Al Ahli Hospital. The cathedral board is supporting the venture with a donation from their charitable giving. All the money raised on the night can go to the solar panel project.
The cathedral’s Music Department organised a very successful Come and Sing event last year in which parish choirs joined the Cathedral Choir to sing Choral Evensong. Musical Director, Ian Keatley, was planning to organise another similar event. At the same time the Revd Garth Bunting had committed to raising €10,000 towards the solar panel project and it was felt that they could work together.
During Advent 2014 the people of the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough raised €115,000 for Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. The hospital is run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem with which Dublin and Glendalough has a partnership link. The hospital faces huge problems with its electricity supply on a daily basis, as does the rest of Gaza. The intermittent supply means they have power for four hours a day and those hours are not regular. As a result they use expensive generators. The installation of solar panels will greatly improve life for medical staff and patients.
Participants can register by contacting Ian Keatley on ian@christchurch.ie or 01–6778099. There is a participation fee of €15 which will go towards the fundraising efforts. Audience tickets are already on sale at a cost of €20 and are available from www.christchurchcathedral.ie.