50 YEARS OF
TALLAGHT CHORAL SOCIETY
“GLORY BE TO TALLAGHT”
This was the
heading in the Sunday Tribune of Ian
Fox’s review of the special concert in the National Concert Hall to celebrate Tallaght Choral Society’s 21st
Anniversary of major performances. By that time the choir had given
performances of major choral pieces such as Messiah; Creation; Elijah;
Requiems by Brahms, Mozart and
Fauré; Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s St John’s
Passion and by now had performed regularly in the Concert Hall. From its humble beginnings as a church choir
in Dominican Priory Tallaght in 1967, the choir had far exceeded the dreams and
expectations of its handful of founder
members.
Fr Dónal
Sweeney founder TCS
Liam Fitzgerald, who succeeded Fr. Dónal
Sweeney OP as Musical Director in 1969 had embarked on a project to perform the
Messiah in the Tallaght Priory. His extraordinary
vision, drive and teaching ability coaxed the small choir to progress from
singing part-songs to learning more challenging music. His enthusiasm was
shared by choir members and a very active committee. The first performance of Messiah in Tallaght with the Dublin Baroque Players and leading
soloists on 25th Nov 1971 to a packed Priory Church, was the first step in the musical story of TCS. During the next
ten years Liam introduced the choir to the major choral works for the annual
performance in the Priory with repeat performances at provincial venues.
Today’s
choir is proud to have inherited a proud tradition of choral singing and choir
development thanks to the great experience and encouragement of each of
its past Musical Directors : David Jones ( 1982-85);
James Cavanagh (1985 – 1995; 2001-2002) Gráinne Gormley ( 1986- 2001); Mark
Armstrong ( 2002-2015).
It was David
Jones who first introduced the choir to competition – Navan (Ist Prize) and
Cork - and followed this with the first visit to perform in the NCH with
Bach’s St. John Passion with the
Irish Chamber Orchestra.
TCS in the
Square Tallaght circa 1988
James
(Jimmy) Cavanagh was responsible for the major development and transformation of the
choir by introducing two concerts per
year, with regular performances in the NCH and accepting regular invitations to
sing in RTÉ concerts and others. The ‘Mahler Tour’ of Waterford, Cork and NCH
as guests of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland with Albert Rosen was an
exciting highlight, followed by the ‘Messiah
for Somalia’ at the Point with massed choirs. During this period new
compositions were commissioned and performed: Gloria by Rhona Clarke (1991) and De Profundis by John Buckley (1994).
“A Tenner
for a Tenor” was a slogan for a major recruitment campaign when Gráinne Gormley
(1996-2001) proposed a performances of Israel in Egypt (Handel) and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with choruses for large
choir. With an increased membership of 120+ it was now possible to perform works
for large choir and orchestra. Annual
concerts in the Concert Hall continued with numerous invites from RTÉ for
‘Theatre Nights’ etc.
Mark
Armstrong (Director in 2002 – 2015) with his expertise and brilliant teaching skills brought the choir to
a new level of competence. Collaborations with other major choirs followed and provided memorable occasions and opportunities
to travel and perform in other cities e.g.
Verdi’s Requiem with Liverpool
Welsh Choral Union; Brahms Requiem
with Royal Edinburgh Choral Union; Carmina
Burana with Belfast Philharmonic and East Cork Choral Union; Elijah with Sligo Choral Society; Messiah with Tokyo Choral Society and Mahler 8 with massed choirs in
Tallaght’s Basketball Arena. A trip to
sing in Vienna as part of the Adventfest in the Rathaus and invitations to take part in Croke Park events
- Special Olympics Opening Ceremony and ‘Stars, Choirs and Carols’ for massed choirs
were fun events for all involved. Mark’s
farewell concert in collaboration with Bel Canto Chorus from Milwaukee, featured
a performance of Lux Aeterna , by
Morten Lauridsen, a living composer, another new experience for the choir.
Because of
the extraordinary bond formed between the members of Tallaght Choral Society
and each musical director, changes when they occur bring sadness at the departure followed by a period
of re-adjustment to a new style and pastures new.
TCS circa
1990
All the
popular choral works have been performed
by each generation of the choir e.g., Messiah; Creation; Elijah; Requiems
by Brahms, Mozart, Fauré; Vivaldi’s Gloria;
Bach’s St John Passion; Carmina Burana, Mahler Symphony No.2; Rossini’s
Stabat Mater, and choral works by Handel,
Schubert, Puccini, Mozart, Haydn etc. in addition to music by Charpentier,
Starvinsky, Bruckner, Duruflé, Dvorak, Rutter etc . In all, the choir has
performed in 150+ concerts.
The choir was
fortunate to have performed with other conductors
e.g. Albert Rosen, Alexander Annissimov;
Gerhard Markson, Mark Shanahan, Stephen
Barlow, Proinnsias Ó Duinn, David Brophy, Gearóid Grant, Michael Bawtree and others.
Memorable
occasions were provided by the performance of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto
by Brian O’ Rourke in 1978 in Tallaght
and Waterford; the visit of tenor Ian Partridge as Evangelist in 1980 in Bach’s St. John Passion in Tallaght and
Sligo and the performance of two trumpet concertos by John Wallace in 1993 in Tallaght and Waterford.
The founder
members could hardly have imagined that the choir would go on to perform so
many of the great choral works. Current members would be surprised to hear how
the choir and its leadership negotiated the uphill struggle of those early years: weekly rehearsals without an
accompanist; weeks learning the notes of one chorus; the excitement of performing with orchestra and reading
reviews of music critics after
performances in Tallaght Priory; heavy
lifting involved in transporting, building and dismantling of the sturdy choir
stand which served the choirs needs for forty years. The invitation to repeat the Messiah in the famous Embankment Pub (famous venue for folk music
etc in Tallaght area) was gracefully
declined! The decision to purchase a new
‘state of the art’, easily assembled,
choir stand provides us with an
invaluable resource for the future.
The choir in
Vienna 2008
The choir
has always been closely linked to activities in Tallaght; providing music at
the opening of the present Priory Church in 1969; St. Aengus’s Church in 1975
and St. Martin’s Church in 1975; an Annual Carol Service in Dominican Priory;
Annual November Mass of Remembrance in the Priory; Christmas Music in the Square; Opening of Rua
Red; Tallaght composers workshop; Tallafest . Local establishments – Cuckoo’s
Nest; Penny Black and Molloys Fox’s Covert (table quiz and Christmas music)
have all hosted enjoyable choir extra-curricular activities
Lynsey
Callaghan current musical director TCS
Our present Director, the youthful Lynsey Callaghan with her passion, energy and
musical ability has committed herself to the task of leading Tallaght Choral Society into the future. Her weekly ‘musicianship
classes’ contribute to the enjoyment on Monday nights. The composer Ola Gjeilo b.1978 whose ‘Sunrise Mass’ which was composed in
2010, was part of our recent concert and was enjoyed by singers and audience
alike - the composer sent his
best wishes to the choir in advance of the concert.
In concert
with Mark Armstrong conducting Christmas 2014
The present
choir members will resonate with accounts of shared passion and enthusiasm for
choral singing, friendly ‘family’ atmosphere and good humour in the choir along
with dedicated and hardworking chairpersons and committee members and the
enjoyment shared at Monday night rehearsals in the familiar surroundings of Dominican Priory in Tallaght.
DS March 2017
At Tallafest
2016
.
