Category Archives: composers

I *Was* Glad…

Posted on 10 March 2011 by

Today I sang Hubert Parry’s anthem, ‘I Was Glad’, with St Ann’s choir for a service to mark the commencement of the newly-elected Irish parliament (Dáil Éireann). Parry was born in 1848, an explosive year in Europe, not least in … Continue reading →

Posted in composers, lovely performances, New Dublin Voices and other choral singing, reviews and reports, what I'm up to | 2 Comments

Extraordinary table drumming

Posted on 21 February 2011 by

Freya Schreurs, a friend of mine who used to sing with New Dublin Voices, posted this video on Facebook. I love it! Beautifully executed and it sounds great. The piece is by Belgian composer Thierry de Mey and is called … Continue reading →

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Steve Reich talks about composition

Posted on 21 January 2011 by

This lovely little video appeared on Twitter today. It’s by the London Sinfonietta, who are soon performing Steve Reich’s ‘Music For 18 Musicians’ with the composer. It’s really a video programme note – Reich explains the genesis and history of … Continue reading →

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Pride, Prejudice, Piano, Perfect

Posted on 1 July 2010 by

I found the big music shop in Sydney – Allan’s on Pitt Street. Downstairs: guitars, drums and such (I got three sets of Martin guitar strings for the price of two PLUS a very compressed t-shirt!). Upstairs is sheet music, … Continue reading →

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The Mornington Singers

Posted on 16 May 2010 by

I went to a concert last night by our choral neighbours, The Mornington Singers. They are conducted by the lovely Orla Flanagan and sang in the marvellous Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. It was my first time in the cathedral (the Catholic … Continue reading →

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Tonight with Craig Doyle

Posted on 6 May 2010 by

On Saturday I was on Craig Doyle’s show, singing with James McMorrow. My fellow backing singers were Jill Deering and Peter Ryan and I did some tambourine, too. We sang a track from James’s album called ‘This Old Dark Machine’ … Continue reading →

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The Marriage of Figaro

Posted on 5 May 2010 by

In my first year at Edinburgh University I was involved in the student production of Mozart’s opera, ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. The cast sang in English, as I recall (the opera is originally in Italian). It contains some of the … Continue reading →

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The Rainbow Connection

Posted on 27 April 2010 by

A few weeks ago I did a recording for one of my fellow tenors in New Dublin Voices, jazz pianist Stephen Kenny. He has formed a duo with a Finnish singer called Milla Mamia and they needed a demo so … Continue reading →

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Suzanne McDonnell at Dundalk IT

Posted on 23 March 2010 by

I accompanied Suzanne McDonnell today at her mid-term performance exam at Dundalk IT. She did really well and I was happy that we did a good set. She opened with a solo piece by Morton Feldman called ‘Only’ and then … Continue reading →

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Two thousand and ten

Posted on 3 January 2010 by

I’m excited about this year. I plan to start working on a portfolio of compositions with a view to starting a Masters in September. That will hinge on developing good work practices – finding a way to do some composition … Continue reading →

Posted in composers, what I'm up to | 1 Comment