Cork International Choral Festival review: A delightful weekend of online singing
Members of Chamber Choir Ireland performing in Cork’s St Fin Barre’s Cathedral as part of the Cork International Choral Festival. Picture: Gerard McCarthy
Among the myriad of images that lit up my computer screen this weekend, one stood out: a group of Chinese teenagers, sitting in a circle singing their hearts out, the girls wearing bright-coloured dresses, the boys in dark suits. I had no idea what the song was about, but their animated faces radiated pleasure and their infectious exuberance brought me to an assembly hall thousands of miles away.
Guangdong Experimental High School Choir were awarded first place in the International Mixed Voices A Cappella Competition at this year’s online Cork Choral Festival, one of two dozen or so overseas choirs who submitted entries in the festival competitions.
The power of choral singing to strengthen communities was exemplified in the inaugural workplace choir competition. Nineteen choirs including one from this parish proved remarkably versatile at adapting to new ways of staying connected.
Events at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral acted as a spectacular placeholder until live festival activity can resume. Sixteen members of Chamber Choir Ireland fanned out across the pew-less Gothic nave to present a programme of 20th century British choral repertoire with three fine premieres including the winning entries in the 2020 and ‘21 Seán Ó Ríada competition by Peter Leavy and Norah Walsh, all delivered in impeccable style under Andrew Synnott.
Early music specialists, Resurgam, mined the Italian influence in 17th century German repertoire building to a mighty motet by JS Bach. Director Mark Duley mixed and matched nimble forces of five singers, chamber organ and harp to produce a satisfying variety of timbre and pace. Siobhán Armstrong’s plucked harp strings blended with the ethereal soprano voices of Aisling Kenny and Charlotte Trepess in Monteverdi’s setting of the Song of Solomon would make a cynic believe in angels.
Expert camera work allowed us all into the organ loft to watch the stops being pulled out in Robbie Carroll’s recital of Holst’s Planet Suite. In the words of Billy Ramsell in his poem, ‘A Singing City’, Cork Choral Festival 2021 bravely continued a proud tradition of “augmenting and replenishing the city’s endless store of song”.
All events are available to watch until May 9; www.corkchoral.ie
1st Place: Fidelity Sings – [Workplace - Fidelity Investments]
Conductor: Peter Mannion
2nd Place: Banknotes – [Workplace - Central Bank of Ireland, Dublin]
Conductor: Tracy Nagle
3rd Place: Coombe Workplace Choir - [Workplace - Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, Dublin]
Conductor: Lisa Price
1st Place: Moran Singers Ensemble, Israel
Conductor: Naomi Faran
2nd Place: Gita Suara Choir ISBI Bandung, Indonesia
Conductor: Yerimia Namora Pakpahan
3rd Place: Cake O'Phonie, Switzerland
Conductor: Antoine Krattinger
1st Place: Guangdong Experimental Middle School Male Voice Choir, China
Conductor: Honghao Zheng
2nd Place: Coro Polifonico di Ruda, Italy
Conductor: Fabiana Noro
3rd Place: Ensemble «Voix Claires» , Germany
Conductor: Sebastian Göring
1st Place: Ponomarev Vesna Children's Choir, Russia
Conductor: Nadezhda Averina
2nd Place: Moran Choir, Israel
Conductor: Naomi Faran
3rd Place: Guangdong Experimental Middle School Children's Choir, China
Conductor: Mingjing Xie and Yeqin Pan
1st Place: Guangdong Experimental High School Mixed Choir, China
Conductor: Howard Zheng & Mingjing Xie
2nd Place: Boğaziçi Jazz Choir, Turkey
Conductor: Masis Aram Gözbek
3rd Place: Maulbronn Chamber Choir, Germany
Conductor: Benjamin Hartmann
1st Place: Euphonics, Dublin
Conductor: Ciarán Kelly
2nd Place: Guys & Dolls Quartet, Cork
Conductor: N/A
3rd Place: Dulciana Vocal Ensemble, Dublin
Conductor: Judith Lyons
The Seán Ó Riada Trophy Awarded to Composer, Norah Constance Walsh, for her work 'On a quiet day in the future'
