ENSEMBLES 2018

St. Mary´s Pro-Cathedral Girls´ Choir

St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral Choir, Dublin was founded in May 2009 with the objective of ensuring that girls have the same choral opportunities that boy choristers have in a Cathedral Choir. It is based in the Pro-Cathedral, which is home to the renowned Palestrina Choir founded by Edward Martyn in 1903. The Girls' Choir has travelled to Cambridge and Ely singing in Ely Cathedral and took part in a workshop with Ely Cathedral Girls' Choir. In May 2014 the girls travelled to Belgium and took part in the International Choral Festival in Neerpelt. They were awarded first prize in their category. They have travelled to Paris, to Liverpool Cathedral and Prague The Choir consists of 39 girls who come from all parts of the city of Dublin, Ireland. The girls sing at the 9:30 Mass on Sundays and sing Solemn Vespers at 5:00pm on Tuesdays. The girls are delighted to have the opportunity to take part in the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna.

Blánaid Murphy

Conductor

Blánaid Murphy is one of Ireland's foremost choral directors. She has been Director of the Palestrina Choir since 2002. While reading Music at Cambridge University, she was appointed Organ Scholar there and furthered her studies at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart, obtaining a Masters' degree. She has vast experience as a choral director, conductor, adjudicator, consultant and educator. To date she has been choral director of RTÉ Children's Choir Cór na nÓg, Carlow Choral Society and at the Conservatory of music and Drama (DIT). She is currently director of Dublin Bach Singers, St Mary's Pro-Cathedral Girls' Choir and the Royal Irish Academy of Music 'Chorale'. In addition, she lectures on choral conducting on the Masters and Doctoral performance programmes at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Her many recordings have included the record-breaking Faith of Our Fathers CD and Cór arrangements of Irish melodies on the ARSIS label. Blánaid, together with Germaine Carlos and the late Ben McArdle, founded the Dublin Bach Singers in 2002 primarily to bring oratorio and the large sacred works to audiences at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. Blánaid was instrumental in brining about the foundation of St Mary's Pro-Cathedral Girls' Choir in 2009 so as to ensure that young girls received the same musical education as young boy choristers at the Pro-Cathedral.

SCL Artistic Program

Competition Program

Additional Concerts Program