A very eventful December - singing with Anuna

I'm determined to get my look back at all the December happenings before January is out, so bear with me.

So after our visit to Dublin the next day my choir had a workshop and a performance scheduled with Anuna.   Another emotional roller coaster.   If I'd had any idea of how amazing the workshop was going to be I would have pushed all my singers to make sure they could be there.

Anuna were the orignal voice of Riverdance - you may remember seeing gorgeous young women with cloaks carrying candles and sounding like angels.   They are quite classical in style but have a very Celtic sound if that's a thing.   8 women and 9 men.
 

I know those of you into music and choirs will find this interesting ....

This group have no conductor, no-one out front, no-one counting them in - all their performance is lead by breath.  And they showed us how they do it ... It was so interesting.  They use the energy of the audience and wait for everyone to settle before they begin.

First Michael McGlynn the founder and director of Anuna asked me to conduct a piece, then do it again without moving my hands ..hmm   No, don't mouth the words!   No, don't use facial expressions!  At that I started to laugh and couldn't think of what else to do - so he proceeded to tell the group to close their eyes. 

Singmarra with Michael standing behind and me in front.  
Note the closed eyes and people trying not to giggle

Without giving them the note again - and remember this is a community choir, not a professional group, and we were now perhaps 10 minutes into the exercise, he then took a breath and they all started in unison and in tune.   Standing in front, I couldn't even hear the breath ... It was so exciting.  Here's a wee snippet from the workshop.

This piece blew us all away - it's called Jerusalem and was composed by Michael McGlynn and is a 7 piece canon in a style that is still sung in the Outer Hebrides .... The girls moved around the monastery as they sang this so the sound wrapped around us all - it was so moving.

So after going through breathing exercises and unison singing we rehearsed Gaudete to perform with them in the Monastery later in the evening.   We were drilled in walking on, bowing and walking off - such fun - I wonder how much of it people will remember when we start back next week lol

 So here's the performance - This is a terrible image but you can see the candles held by the Anuna ladies - we're surrounding them - they didnt trust us with the candles lol - and you can certainly hear us when we come in after the 2nd verse. 

 

Everyone together afterwards ..
we were in the Benedictine Monastery where the Mass is still sung in Gregorian Chant

Some of my Singmarra ladies with Michael

Even making it into the paper the following week

We were all high as kites for a week after and it certainly made a difference to our two Christmas performances and attracted more people to want to join us.

I have no desire to have a professional level choir - my main passion is to get people to use their voices - almost without exception, people who join community choirs tell the leaders that they can't sing or can't sing in tune - given 10 minutes singing in a group with fun songs and no-one pointing fingers everyone sings well in tune and has fun.   But, this experiecne will certainly lift the level of what we do, me as much as the singers - in fact it'll give me the opportunity to join in and sing with them rather than being stuck out in front.  

A very eventful December - meeting the President

Arás an Uachtaráin (literally means Hall of the President)

We were very excited back in October to recieve a gilt edged invitation from President Michael D Higgins' office to attend the lighting of the Christmas tree at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin on 7th December.  

President Higgins who is known by everyone as Michael D is the 9th president of Ireland and a very interesting character which is reflected in everything he does.  A poet and scholar, a native Irish speaker as well as a seasoned politician, and married to Sabina a former actress from the Abbey Theatre, his entire presidency has been a message of integration and inclusion - at his inauguration he had speakers from every major religion in the country including humanists and atheists!  If you're interested here's the link to his Christmas speech which focussed on welcoming the new Irish into the country and helping them feel at home at a time when family is important. 

Michael D Higgins, President

The president's home is in the Phoenix Park in Dublin and was formerly the seat of the British High Consul.   It is a fabulous early Georgian building which houses all the offices associated with the Presidency and is where all visiting dignitaries are welcomed including the Queen and Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Camilla and many former US presidents including Barack Obama.  

The entire day was set up for children and 100 kids from orphanages are entertained each year with their carers.   We assumed we were invited because Tom's book The BirdsSong is about inclusion and aimed at children - we were delighted whatever the reason and were especially pleased to have an invite for four of us, so Colum who illustrated the BirdsSong book was also able to attend with his wife Deirdre.

photo courtesy of www.president.ie

We did have our photos taken with the President and his wife but haven't been able to locate a copy yet and with us all being slighty starstruck, not one of us had the presence of mind to ask one of the staff take a photo for us ... however... We did catch Santa! 

 

After been ushered into meet MIchael D and Sabina we were then moved through to meet Santa and his elves and from there outside again and into a hall where entertainment and food was laid on before the speeches.  

Outside this hall there was an avenue of trees planted by various dignitaries ... 

planted by Barack Obama

and the Peace Bell which was commissioned to honour the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement by Mary McAleese, one of two female presidents and the only president to come from the North of Ireland - she's a native of Rostrevor where I live.  

The fabulous Dublin Youth choir sang in small groups and as one large group throughout the whole afternoon - just gorgeous. 

and the main entertainment stage had young performers from all over the country - 2 dancers from the South East, a couple of young sisters singing who came from the West and a young family of traditional musicians from Co Tyrone in Northern Ireland as well as comedians, jugglers etc etc ... 

traditional musicians from Co. Tyrone

And the highlight of the entertainment particularly for the young ones, although I was quite thrilled to see hime too, was Hozier who's chart hit Take Me To Church a few years back has made him into a household name.  He did a lovely set, finishing with Silent Night in Irish (Oiche Chuin)   He's a beautiful singer and a former member of Anuna who we were to meet the following day. 

Hozier on stage in the Douglas Hyde room

 

Tom, myself, Colum and Deirdre

And then outside for the switch on of the tree....

official photo

The building was kept open afterwards for us to look around - and for more teas and coffees, mince pies and choirs . 

The main entrance is a hall of bronze busts of former presidents ... Mary McAleese, Mary Robinson and Eamon deValera pictured here.

All in all it was a charming afternoon.   I would love to go back sometime and do the official tour as the building is crammed with fabulous Irish art and sculpture and I find President Higgins charming - a welcome change from the political bluster that is the norm at the minute.