Organist Appointed; Living Worship 2013; Music, Eucharist & You; Brian Houston LIVE at Willowfield; Service celebrates decade of girls voices; The Hymns Collective
Organist Appointed
Dr. Geoffrey Higgins has been appointed organist of Eglantine Parish (Connor). Geoffrey specialises in music and music-history from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries having completed a PhD in musicology in 2012.
He has taught and lectured at Queen’s, coached singers and instrumentalists and directed a number of Baroque operas over the last number of years including Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Handel’s Alcina. He has given papers at a number of conferences and has published on politics in French Baroque music. As a continuo player he has played with Castleward Opera (Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte), Opera Fringe (Handel’s Il Trionfo del Tempo ed il Disinganno) and a number of other ensembles around Northern Ireland.
He was a Choral Scholar at St. Anne’s Cathedral and conducted the choir between 2010 and 2011. He is currently the Director of Music of the Balligan Consort which sings in St. Andrew’s Church, Balligan.
Living Worship 2013 final session
The final session will be held in Dublin next Saturday 19th January 10 to 12.30 in Mageough Hall, Cowper Road, Rathmines, beside the Cowper Luas stop
The annual Living Worship course aims to demonstrate the meaningful use of music in worship, by helping musicians to see their role as being wider than just playing an instrument or singing in a choir.
Now in its 8th year, Living Worship has something to offer everyone who has an interest or involvement in the music of worship – musicians, singers, those with pastoral responsibility (not only clergy) and those who sit in the pews, Sunday by Sunday.
On 19 January the Revd Peter Thompson, rector of the Donaghmore group of parishes, succentor at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, and secretary to the hymnal committee, will talk about the contents of the forthcoming supplement to Church Hymnal and explain how the committee has gone about its work. He then will give some practical advice as to how to select music for Church of Ireland services.
This will be a good opportunity to come up-to-date with hymnal developments and to get some useful tips. Fee for the final session: €15. Book and pay online at churchmusicdublin.org/training
or call David on 087 668 3998
Music, Eucharist & You
Church Music Dublin has recently recorded a video entitled Music, Eucharist & You. The educational video is primarily aimed at musicians, but may be of interest to all worshippers. The video is presented by the Archdeacon of Glendalough, the Ven Ricky Rountree, who is chairman of Church Music Dublin. The Archdeacon guides the viewer through the musical aspects of the Eucharist.
The new video can be viewed by clicking on the following link: www.churchmusicdublin.org/video
Church Music Dublin is an agency of the dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough which aims to provide ongoing training for all who lead music in worship. The organisation supports church music by providing information and training and by fostering a sense of community among musicians. It also seeks to serve all involved in the music of worship – congregations, instrumentalists, choir directors, cantors and clergy. One of their main focuses is on churches where musical resources and opportunities are limited.
Brian Houston LIVE at Willowfield
A live acoustic night with Brian Houston in the beautiful building of Willowfield Parish Church, East Belfast. All proceeds will go to the Church Hall Development Project.
Appearing on stages with the likes of Van Morrison, Robert Plant, Chuck Berry and Elvis Costello and hailed as “One of Britain’s Great Songwriters” by venerable DJ Bob Harris, Houston’s live show is described as unmissable.
Date: Saturday 23 February Doors open: 7.30 pm Show starts: 8.00 pm
Tickets: £12.00 Available to book online here:
http://www.willowfieldchurch.co.uk/brianhouston/
Please exercise care and courtesy when parking on the streets surrounding the church. If you have any queries about this event, please contact Willowfield Parish Church Office on 028 9045 7654 or email office@willowfieldchurch.co.uk
Service celebrates decade of girls voices
A special service is being held at St Asaph Cathedral to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Girls’ Choir.
Organist and Master of the Choristers Alan McGuinness established the Girls’ Choir in 2003 to offer girls the same opportunities to sing as boys.
The Girls’ Choir currently has choristers from eight different schools between the ages of eight and 16.
In the decade since the choir’s formation, the girls have appeared on the BBC’s Songs of Praise and two CD recordings.
They have appeared in concert alongside The King’s Singers and have sung for the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke of Kent.
The service of celebration is being held exactly 10 years to the day since the choir’s first performance in St Asaph Cathedral.
Mr McGuinness said it had been exciting to establish a new choir and watch its evolution as voices grew in confidence.
“It’s great to have the two individual groups – the boys and the girls – when they sing together for the major services, vocally they complement each other so well, but they also maintain their own identities,” he said.
“The two choirs have allowed us to increase our repertoire of music at St Asaph Cathedral.”
The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral the Very Reverend Nigel Williams added: “The Girls’ Choir are an integral part of the life of the Cathedral and the contribution that they have made over the last 10 years is a true cause for celebration.
“I am very much looking forward to the Choir continuing to develop and continuing to enhance the worship here.”
The Hymns Collective
Integrity Music announces the January 14th release of The Hymns Collective: Session 1, a 12-track album featuring new songs crafted around classic hymns and the timeless truths of Scripture set to acoustic, folk and roots-inspired music.
Under the direction of producer and songwriter John Hartley, the collection was created for personal times of worship and devotion as well as for use in church and small group settings.
Contributing songwriters, artists and musicians include Katie Gustafson, Chris McClarney, Chris Eaton, Paul Oakley and The Choir’s Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong among others.
“In a world filled with noise, so many are searching for a quiet place of reflection where they can encounter God and hear His voice,” says Hartley. “We hope The Hymns Collective provides a contemplative backdrop for those times when we need to steal away.”