Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Blackburn Choir sings in Belfast Cathedral
During July and August most of the Irish cathedral choirs will be on a much needed break from the regular routine of sung services. However, the liturgical cycle still goes on and on many Sundays and, sometimes on other days, the services are sung by visiting choirs from other cathedrals and parishes. This provides a welcome opportunity to hear new voices and to ensure that the many summer visitors who swell the cathedral congregations have a good liturgical experience.
St Anne’s cathedral, Belfast, welcomes the Young People’s Choir of Blackburn Cathedral this weekend. The choir will also give a concert and an organ recital. The Choir, directed by Shaun Turnbull, sang Choral Evensong yesterday and will sing Choral Evensong tomorrow (Sunday) at 3.30pm and at the 11am Eucharist. They will also give a concert at 1.30pm today (Saturday), and Shaun will give an organ recital tomorrow (Sunday) at 3pm before Evensong.
The choir was established more than 40 years ago, initially for choristers whose voices had changed. Some years later, young ladies were admitted for the first time. Until around 1998 the choir sang Choral Matins each Sunday morning. The service since then has been a Parish Eucharist which contrasts well in allowing a greater breadth of choral and congregational music and styles alongside the main Cathedral Eucharist sung later by the Boys and Men of the Cathedral Choir.
The Young People’s Choir has toured internationally and throughout the UK. More recently, the choir travelled to Manchester to sing on the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service as well as contributing to broadcasting from Blackburn including Songs of Praise for BBC Television and Sunday Worship for BBC Radio. A recent further development of the Young People’s Choir’s schedule and repertoire is a monthly Choral Evensong.
The Young People’s Choir mini–tour to Belfast has come about thanks to the generosity of the Blackburn Cathedral Choirs’ Association.
Tomorrow (Sunday) the 11am Eucharist and the 15.30 Evensong in Christ Church cathedral, Dublin, will be sung by the choir of St Patrick’s church, Greystones, directed by Jacqueline Mullen with organist Paul Mullen. In St Patrick’s cathedral the services will be sung by the Close Chorale.
At Ballinatone parish church, Co. Wicklow, the annual Blessing of the Animals will take place at 10.30am. This will be the final service taken by Canon George Butler before his retirement from the incumbency of Castlemacadam, Ballinatone and Aughrim.
On Friday the lunchtime recital in St Mary’s cathedral, Limerick, will be given by the Razene Wind Orchestra from Hungary. ‘Summer Music at Sandford’ continues in Sandford parish church, Ranelagh, each Friday with the recitals beginning at 1.10 pm. Next Friday there will be a recital by the soprano, Katy Kelly.
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Published in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times