RTE Cooperation Ireland Choir Competition

Despite a sterling performance the St. Columba's College Choir were unsuccessful obtaining a place in the RTE Cooperation Ireland Choir Competition Finals. The choir performed admirably and were a fantastic example of the musical talent the school can boast. Well done to King's Hospital on their achievement. Siobhán Brady wrote a short article on her experience of the competition.

The St. Columba's Choir recently took part in a choir competition for RTE. We had to make a CD of two songs which we did one evening in September. We recorded "For the Beauty of the Earth" by John Rutter and the "Glory Train", a spiritual song. We found out a few weeks later that our choir had gotten through to the Regional Finals of Dublin along with four other schools: Notre Dame, Alexandra College, King's Hospital and Mount Anville. We were told that that this was going to be televised. Before the live competition RTE visited the college to take a few pictures and videos. They filmed people having lunch in the Dining Hall and lots of shots in the Cadogan. Robbie Hollis, Jessica Beresford and myself had to walk around Chapel square a few times and up and down Cloisters for the camera man. (Click here to read more...)

Music Soirée

Ling Fan Gao writes on the first Music Soirée of the new term.

The Music Soirées organised by Mrs. Malone-Brady throughout the year provide a valuable opportunity for music pupils to perform in front of friends and other musicians. They provide a stage from which new musicians can practise playing and singing in front of others, gain experience and become more relaxed. The audience is very appreciative as they know firsthand the challenge that overcoming nerves poses. The event took place on Saturday evening in the Cadogan Music Centre. It was quite informal and anyone who wished to come along to play could.

There were a number of people playing from the very young to the more senior. No matter the standard of difficulty every performance was met with a big round of applause and a great confidence boost. This was a first performance for many and was a great experience.
Refreshments were provided by Mrs. Malone-Brady following the concert and it was a great opportunity to stand around and talk about the experience and exchange compliments to one another.

Many thanks to Mrs. Malone-Brady for organising the event.

Music Scholarship

by Lingfan Gao

The music scholarship in St. Columba’s is a very competitive affair. The experience of the audition differs from person to person, they made me really nervous yet it was a pleasure to hear every soloist perform his or her own style of music. The order was chronological so the youngest members of the group performed first, pupils from form I right through to form VI. Scholarships are awarded to different categories, Junior, Intermediate and Senior.

The junior section was great. Siobhán Brady (II) performed excellently on Cello and Voice. Kezia Wright (III) and Sally Bebby (II) both performed excellently too, both are talented singers.

In the Intermediate section Patrick Tice (IV), Emma Moore (IV) and I competed for the scholarship. Patrick gave a strong performance on guitar, his piece soft and gentle. Emma performed on the violin and sang, performing very well on both instruments. I played Beethoven’s Pathétique, first movement, on piano.

In the senior section, Robbie Hollis played saxophone, showing off his technique and command of the instrument. Michael McBurney sang a jolly and light hearted piece matching his personality and revealing his great voice. Sophie played the flute, a very challenging piece by Mozart but played very well. Poppy Vernon, however, stole the spotlight by singing a Mozart aria, sad and powerful, she brought the piece to life and communicated the meaning to the audience with powerful expressions that matched the mood of the song.

The event was adjudicated by the Warden, Mr. McCarthy, Ms. Malone-Brady and Mr. Clarke. Scholarships were awarded to Siobhán Brady (junior), Kezia Wright (junior), Emma Moore (intermediate), myself (intermediate) and Poppy Vernon(senior). To stand up and play in front of judges and fellow pupils is a hard thing to do and everyone who performed did so well and gained vital experience.

Music in the Classroom

On Wednesday 7th October form Primary went on a class trip to The Irish Times Music in the Classroom Concert in the Helix. Each pupil was asked to write a review of the concert and the following, by Clara Murphy, was selected as the best.

Today form Primary went on a class trip to 'Music in the Classroom' in the Helix, DCU. We were the first people in the hall but after a few minutes loads of other schools arrived. Our class was the smallest group there. Shortly after this the orchestra walked on stage while everyone clapped and shouted.

The conductor, Gearoid Grant, came on stage and told us there would be a quiz for every school based on the songs from Carnival of the Animals. After they played the first piece St. Columba's was called out, after blanking for a few seconds we all came to our senses and answered.

The rest of the concert was great, we sang all the songs we spent time in class learning. The end was especially fun because we all got to sing ABBA songs.

Choir-mania!

Congratulations to the Choir on their qualification for the regional heat of the RTE Co-Operation Ireland School Choir Competition 2009. The competition will take place on Friday 16th October and will be televised on RTE 1 on Sunday 25th October. Tune in at 6:30 to support them!

There is also a very small number of tickets available to the recording so if you are interested please email the music department on sccmusicdept@gmail.com.