Performance
Professional Choral Ensemble - Vocalis
Christmas 2012
About Vocalis
This Marriage Eric Whitacre
O Vos Mones Pablo Casals
Requiem Herbert Howells
The Lord is my Shepherd Howard Goodall
Mack the Knife Kurt Weil
How High the Moon Arr. Gwyn Arch
Roisin Dempsey (Soprano) from Enniscorthy is a honours music graduate from Maynooth, specialising in performance. She has recorded and toured internationally with Anúna, Riverdance, Liam Lawton and Celtic Woman over the past number of years. As a soloist she moves between classical and crossover repertoire recording two albums, "Spirit of an Irish Christmas" and "Surrounded" both of which have met with critical acclaim and led to many engagements the most recent being in Gothenburg Sweden and Nashville, Tennessee. Her Oratorio experience ranges from Bach's' St Matthew's Passion', to Fauré's "Requeim". She is delighted to be part of Vocalis and looks forward to making music with such a talented group.
Grainne Stafford (Mezzo Soprano) studied voice with Edith Forrester in D.I.T., Robert Beare in Cork School of Music and Alan Cutts in the Wexford School of Music. She has sung with the National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Opera Ireland and Christ Church Cathedral Chamber Choir.
Dermot Doyle (Tenor) Having studied for his BA in Music and H Dip in Ed, Dermot Doyle sang with the National Chamber Choir from ’96 -2002 and represented Ireland in the World Youth Choir. Dermot has studied voice with Robert Bickerstaff in Sydney where he had the privilege to sing in the Sydney Opera House and at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games. He has sung with Opera Ireland and Garsington Opera UK.
Greg Scanlon (Tenor) Greg has been performing, conducting and composing for groups in Waterford for many years. A primary school principal by day, Greg is currently completing his PhD in Music Composition studying with Marian Ingoldsby at Waterford Institute of Technology.
Madrigallery - http://www.madrigallery.org
The 2012/2013 Saeason
The 2012/2013 season promises to be one of the best yet for madrigallery. November 17th will see them collaborate for the first time in an orchestral concert by Waterford Concert Orchestra. Although no strangers to working with orchestra, Madrigallery have always been the main performers. On November 17th,2012 they will join with Waterford Concert Orchestra performing music that has been used in film. Choral favourites such as Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, The Humming Chorus from Madam Butterfly and Hymn to the Fallen by John Williams (from Saving Private Ryan) will add an extra touch of class in what is sure to be an excellent concert of light orchestral music.
Early in 2013 the choir will once again team up with orchestra in a repeat performance of Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man. The choir performed this work six years ago and it was one of the most popular concerts with both audience and choir. More details on this event later.
The year will finish off in May/June 2013 with the stunning Mozart Requiem. One of Mozart's final compositions it is a work of tremendous beauty and is certain to be a full house. visit this site again for further details.
Although established in 1991, Madrigallery have had Kevin O’Carroll as their principal conductor since 1995. Over the years, the choir has moved from its original aim of providing private summertime entertainment, singing madrigals to becoming one of the leading choirs in the South East. The range of material covered by the choir extends from polyphonic writing of the 16th Century through to modern works written especially for Madrigallery. These modern works include pieces by Eric Sweeney, Marion Ingoldsby and Colin Mawby. For many years, the choir partook of the competition circuit - winning numerous awards along the way.
More recently, the choir has preferred concert performance over the competitive challange. Recent performances have included the Rutter Requiem, Jenkins' The Armed Man, Charpentier's Messe de Minuit, and the Duruflé Requiem. Smaller works have included many Irish premiers including several works by the American composer Eric Whitacre. Under their principal conductor, the choir has toured to Wales and the Czech Republic. Their main 2010 concert which included a Mozart Mass and several works by Whitacre earned the critic's comment "Concert of the Year".
Soprano: Jean Hubbard, Finola Wiltshire, Geraldine Hartery, Petra Kindler,
Alto: Teresa Cullinan, Catherine Hearne, Elaine Mullan, Penny Nordell, Deirdre O’Carroll, Sinéad O’Carroll, Niamh Prendergast, Clare Gately, Marie Kelleher, Cory Rieck.
Tenor: Micheál Griffin, John Kiersey, Anthony O’Reilly, Fergus MacSweeney.
Bass: Tom Power,
December 2011 - Music to lift your spirits!
Date: Saturday 26th November, 2011 at 8 PM at Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford.
Programme: Rutter - Magnificat
Vivaldi - Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera RV 630
Bach - Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring
Mawby - Ave Verum
Kodaly - Veni Emmanual
Handel - Organ Concerto No. 13 in F Major The Cuckoo and the Nightingale
Soloist: Róisín Dempsey.
Organist: Eric Sweeney.
Conductor: Kevin O'Carroll.
Waterford Chamber Orchestra.
Tickets: €15 and €10 concession
Children under 16 are welcome to join their parents free of charge.
May 2011
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Dates: Friday 13th May, 2011 at 8 PM at the Black Abbey, Kilkenny. AND Saturday 14th May, 2011 at 8 PM at Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford. Programme: O Quam Gloriosum mass. Tomás Luis de Victoria. Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. Herbert Howells. Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks. Herbert Howells. Organ music: Prelude and Fugue in C Major BMV 545. J.S. Bach. Celtic Sonata - Final Movement. C.V. Stanford. The Kilkenny concert will also include a perfomance by Kilkenny male voice ensemble, Sospiero of: Steal Away. Hard times come again no more. The Rev. Eli Jenkins' Prayer. Organist: Colin Nicholls. Conductor: Kevin O'Carroll. |
Photos
Glory Day Singers
Kevin started working with the Glory day Singers in September 2011. Based in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, this group started out as a gospel choir but have broadened thier hoizens greatly and now cover a wide range of material in the light entertainment genre.
December 2011
Concert in Ferryhouse, Clonmel.
Programme included:
Guest Conducting
With vast experience of conducting choirs - from small ensembles (8) to large choirs (120+), Kevin O’Carroll has been there, done that and still has the t-shirt and tails! With his specialist training in choral conducting and his many years orchestral experience, Kevin is the ideal choice as a guest conductor.
Having worked for many years with amateur choirs, Kevin is extremely familiar with the practicalities and challenges of running a community choir. With experience in conducting small and large-scale compositions, Kevin is equally at home working on choral/symphonic repertoire or the more intimate challenges of chamber repertoire.
Having a background as a freelance French horn player, Kevin has a marked advantage over other choral directors in that he understands the differing needs of choirs and orchestras. This means that the usual choral versus orchestral tensions are minimised!
Kevin worked for fifteen years as organist and choirmaster at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Waterford and so has a thorough knowledge of the challenges of working in a liturgical environment.
All of this experience makes him an ideal candidate as guest conductor for a wide range of choral groups.
If you are interested in having Kevin as a guest conductor with your group, please email info@kevinocarrollmusic.com .
South East Choral Alliance
As a member of a small to medium sized choir you will be familiar with the difficulties in programming works with orchestral accompaniment. Through the South East Choral Alliance, Kevin O’Carroll brings to you the possibility of performing large-scale works that require comprehensive accompaniment.
With no fixed membership, SECA seeks to bring together choirs of similar interests and experiences in order to ensure a collaborative rather than competitive environment for music making.
The first collaboration, in May 2010, brought together Ad Hoc Chorale and Madrigallery from Waterford and Vocare from Wexford with accompaniment provided by Dublin Symphony Orchestra. With concerts delivered in Waterford, Wexford and Dublin, the entire venture was declared a huge success.
If you are interested in joining with other choirs in this way, please contact Kevin at info@kevinocarrollmusic.com.
Workshops
In October 2008, The Arts Council of Ireland produced a new policy document called Raising your Voice. This document outlined the very positive things that are happening in Ireland in the world of Choral Singing. The document also pointed out that there was a dearth of education and training opportunities for choral conductors. Thankfully through the creation of training programmes through the association of Irish Choirs and the creation of the post-graduate Diploma in Choral Conducting in Education and the Community at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra (DCU) things are changing in this regard.
The document also referred to a series of other supports that are required in order to further the cause of choral music in Ireland. Through the provision of workshops and consultancy services, Kevin O'Carroll Music is happy to now provide these serices to the Choral community in Ireland.
Choir Workshops
Kevin O'Carroll has been involved in choir workshops for many years. From large choruses to small chamber ensembles and from school choirs to male voice choirs, Kevin has worked with them all. For some groups, a single evening working with a different conductor as an interesting experiment is all that is required. For others, a thorough analysis and improvement programme is requested. Kevin O'Carroll is happy to work with any choir interested in improving the overall performance of the group.
Many choirs travel away each year on what may be called a “retreat weekend”. Choir weekends are an excellent way to create a unified spirit within a group. These weekends are also great for addressing particular issues within your choir.
In many cases, detailed arrangements are discussed and agreed with the hotel in advance, with the hotel having little or no real understanding of the various requirements – separate rehearsal rooms for all lines etc. Arranging your workshop weekend in association with Kevin O’Carroll Music means that Waterford's Dooley's Hotel not only understands your needs but knows how to satisfy them.
Workshops are designed on a choir by choir basis and so whatever you need can be built into the weekend. Choral techniques, gesture analysis, private adjudication, choir voicing or just an entertaining series of rehearsals with a different conductor. Some or all of these variations can be incorporated into your choir weekend. Performance options can also be arranged, if required.
Here are some of the fine performance venues available in Waterford.
The Large Room, City Hall, Waterford
Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity
Choir outings are frequently organised to polish competition repertoire. What better way to ensure the best outcome than to engage the services of an experienced choral adjudicator. Kevin O’Carroll has adjudicated at many music festivals including the Irish Choir of the Year 2009. He can provide a detailed review of your performances and make suggestions for a more effective competitive edge.
Waterford is a great location for shopping and sight seeing with the various museums and the new Waterford Crystal visitor’s centre in the heart of the city. With excellent performance venues available and a firmly established choral audience, Waterford is an ideal centre for touring/visiting choirs.
If any of this sounds like it might be of interest to your choir, please contact info@kevinocarrollmusic.com
Conducting Master Classes
Private master-classes provide for a non-threatening environment in which to explore issues regarding conducting performance where practitioners learn through watching each other and hearing the detailed analysis. In what is one of his personal favourite disciplines, conducting master classes are an excellent way of discovering the impact of gesture on sound. These master-classes can be provided as part of a choral workshop weekend or as a bespoke class. Working with beginner, intermediate or advanced conductors, classes are video-recorded and commentaries are provided on these recordings. In this way, students can both see and hear the impact of gesture.
For more details on how you can sign up for a master-class please contact info@kevinocarrollmusic.com
Consultancy
In October 2008, The Arts Council of Ireland produced a new policy document called Raising your Voice. This document outlined the very positive things that are happening in Ireland in the world of Choral Singing. The document also pointed out that there was a dearth of education and training opportunities for choral conductors. Thankfully through the creation of training programmes through the association of Irish Choirs and the creation of the post-graduate Diploma in Choral Conducting in Education and the Community at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra (DCU) things are changing in this regard.
The document also referred to a series of other supports that are required in order to further the cause of choral music in Ireland. Through the provision of workshops and consultancy services, Kevin O'Carroll Music is happy to now provide these serices to the Choral community in Ireland.
Choir Voicing - a technique for optimal choral blend
Not to be confused with the categorisation of voices into Soprano, Alto, Tenor, or Bass, the technique of Choir Voicing was created to assist in generating the optimal blend of the singers in any given ensemble. In Ireland, Kevin O’Carroll is unique in providing this service to choirs. One of the country’s leading musicians, David Brophy, Principal Conductor RTE Concert Orchestra, has said of this technique
"Having attended Kevin O'Carroll's absorbing presentation at the Association of Irish Choirs Choral Conducting Summer School entitled 'Choir Voicing - a technique for a blended choir timbre', I'm fully convinced that all choirs should investigate the potential benefits of utilising this subtle and mysterious technique - they might be surprised at the results!"
David has invited Kevin to apply the special technique to the Dun Laoighre Choral Society, having experienced the impressive results achieved at the Irish Association of Choirs Summer School 2009.
Conducting Tuition (private lessons)
For the majority of choral directors in Ireland, few opportunities exist to obtain conducting lessons. With private lessons available by a fully qualified and certified mentor, this shortcoming can now be addressed by Kevin O'Carroll Music. With tuition tailored to your specific needs, these video-recorded sessions can be of immense benefit to the performance of both you and your choir. Whether you are a beginner or already have some experience in directing choirs Kevin can help. Contact him to discuss the possibility of private tuition.
Music Competition Adjudication
Adjudication is more than just deciding who wins! It is about helping all performers to reach their full potential. Whether a competitor performs at a beginner’s level or have a good deal of experience, it is always possible to improve. For many years, Kevin has conducted choirs on the competition circuit in Ireland, winning numerous awards in the process. He is therefore aware of the practical difficulties encountered by choirs in their search for the perfect performance. This awareness informs his commentary on competitive performances. Such commentaries usually contain references to the good elements of a performance but also refer to the areas where additional attention to detail would pay dividends. Given that we cannot improve by compliments but only by constructive criticism, this mix of positive and negative feedback is essential to the progression of a choir.
In 2011, Kevin will adjudicate at Féile an tSamhraidh, Midleton and at the Arklow Music Festival.
If you are interested in engaging Kevin as an adjudicator for your music festival or for a private adjudication for your choir, contact him at info@kevinocarrollmusic.com
