The Mitchelstown Junior Choir on our 2013 Spring School Tour just before one of our many performances of the day!
Having fun on the bus in between performances with the amazingly talented girls in my Junior Choir at Mitchelstown School of Music & Arts!
Members of the Mitchelstown Adult Vocal Ensemble Spring 2013
It's been a while since my last post, and I've loads to catch you all up on!
Last I left you it was April with Voci Nuove on our 'Pitches be Crazy' Tour.
May & June were whirlwinds, and flashed by so quickly! Lots went on including Voci Nuove winning two 2nd place titles in the Chamber & Sacred Music Competitions of the Cork Choral Festival, as well as being awarded the John Mannion Trophy for our performance of Orban's 'Ave Regina.'
The Mitchelstown School of Music & Arts undertook its very first 'School Tour' putting on full performances at numerous schools throughout the Mitchelstown/Fermoy area. I had such an amazing experience leading my girls in such an exciting opportunity and they were more than thrilled with the huge applauses we received at each school. The junior choir performed songs by Katy Perry, One Direction (met with huge enthusiasm by our adoring fans!), Adele & others, and we also had a few brave soloists who sang on their own accompanied by the fabulous Mr. Tom Doyle. It was a fantastic day, and I felt so proud of my girls for the excellent work they put in this term- I can't say enough how much they wowed me at every school! (You can probably see in the pics here just how much fun we all were having!)
In June I was delighted that the brand new Mitchelstown School of Music & Arts building in the heart of the town was being finished and we were able to put on our Voice Studio Summer 2013 Concert on the new stage! My good friend Tom Doyle was once again called upon to accompany the soloists & choirs and he was wonderful to work with as always! (I'm getting spoiled!) Not only was the place packed on the day (some had to stand!) we got the best feedback, with my wonderfully talented students truly showing their full potential on the day. I think I got more hugs and cuddles that day than anyone else in Cork! It was so wonderful to see such joy on everyone's faces- performers & audience members alike- I really felt like I had accomplished something amazing that day, and I'm so proud of all of my students. Their hard work really paid off, I was more than swept away by the talent displayed by all of my voice studio students, the junior choir, & the debut of the adult vocal ensemble (who sang some of my own choral arrangements!)
At the end of the concert, it was time for the Voice Studio Awards, and each student was recognized for an outstanding achievement or attribute. The very first awards ceremony was met with great success, with the students feeling very proud of themselves (as they should!) and our very first Junior Choir Captain Award was given as well. It was so wonderful to see the look of surprise on my new JC Captain's face- because 'yes, I did notice that she had all of her lyrics memorized first' & 'yes, I did notice that she never missed a rehearsal' (even when she couldn't sing she came because she 'didn't want to miss out on learning the dance moves' - a choir conductor's dream come true!- such dedication! I have to say that all of my junior choir girls have demonstrated to me such dedication to their music & I am so, so proud of each of them. In fact, I can't wait to get started again in Autumn with all of my groups! :)
The Summer Concert was such a smash hit that both the junior & adult vocal ensembles were asked to perform at another concert the following weekend! This positive feedback was so great for the groups (& me!) and we had a fantastic time putting on a second mini show! There is now so much interest in the junior choir that we are going to have two in Autumn of 2013 and the adult vocal ensemble is nearly doubled in size! Very exciting :D
In other news, I completed my biomedicine course (I've always believed that singers should understand their bodies as their instruments are housed inside them- much more on this in future posts). My final exam took place the day before I headed away to California to see my family back home. I am looking forward to applying this knowledge to my teaching & my own singing.
I really enjoyed spending lovely lazy July days in sunny California, with a much needed holiday catching up with family & friends.
'O Emperor's' new album 'Vitreous,' which features the female voices of Voci Nuove (including yours truly!) was released on July 12, 2013. It's a fantastic album & has been receiving numerous accolades upon its release. The Sunday Times named it Album Of The Week! Be sure to check out the track 'Brainchild' - The album can be purchased in any music shop, on Amazon, or downloaded on iTunes!
Upon my return to Ireland, I received some exciting news about upcoming performance opportunities, so please 'stay tuned' and catch the next post (I promise you won't have to wait so long this time!) ;-)
Last I left you it was April with Voci Nuove on our 'Pitches be Crazy' Tour.
May & June were whirlwinds, and flashed by so quickly! Lots went on including Voci Nuove winning two 2nd place titles in the Chamber & Sacred Music Competitions of the Cork Choral Festival, as well as being awarded the John Mannion Trophy for our performance of Orban's 'Ave Regina.'
The Mitchelstown School of Music & Arts undertook its very first 'School Tour' putting on full performances at numerous schools throughout the Mitchelstown/Fermoy area. I had such an amazing experience leading my girls in such an exciting opportunity and they were more than thrilled with the huge applauses we received at each school. The junior choir performed songs by Katy Perry, One Direction (met with huge enthusiasm by our adoring fans!), Adele & others, and we also had a few brave soloists who sang on their own accompanied by the fabulous Mr. Tom Doyle. It was a fantastic day, and I felt so proud of my girls for the excellent work they put in this term- I can't say enough how much they wowed me at every school! (You can probably see in the pics here just how much fun we all were having!)
In June I was delighted that the brand new Mitchelstown School of Music & Arts building in the heart of the town was being finished and we were able to put on our Voice Studio Summer 2013 Concert on the new stage! My good friend Tom Doyle was once again called upon to accompany the soloists & choirs and he was wonderful to work with as always! (I'm getting spoiled!) Not only was the place packed on the day (some had to stand!) we got the best feedback, with my wonderfully talented students truly showing their full potential on the day. I think I got more hugs and cuddles that day than anyone else in Cork! It was so wonderful to see such joy on everyone's faces- performers & audience members alike- I really felt like I had accomplished something amazing that day, and I'm so proud of all of my students. Their hard work really paid off, I was more than swept away by the talent displayed by all of my voice studio students, the junior choir, & the debut of the adult vocal ensemble (who sang some of my own choral arrangements!)
At the end of the concert, it was time for the Voice Studio Awards, and each student was recognized for an outstanding achievement or attribute. The very first awards ceremony was met with great success, with the students feeling very proud of themselves (as they should!) and our very first Junior Choir Captain Award was given as well. It was so wonderful to see the look of surprise on my new JC Captain's face- because 'yes, I did notice that she had all of her lyrics memorized first' & 'yes, I did notice that she never missed a rehearsal' (even when she couldn't sing she came because she 'didn't want to miss out on learning the dance moves' - a choir conductor's dream come true!- such dedication! I have to say that all of my junior choir girls have demonstrated to me such dedication to their music & I am so, so proud of each of them. In fact, I can't wait to get started again in Autumn with all of my groups! :)
The Summer Concert was such a smash hit that both the junior & adult vocal ensembles were asked to perform at another concert the following weekend! This positive feedback was so great for the groups (& me!) and we had a fantastic time putting on a second mini show! There is now so much interest in the junior choir that we are going to have two in Autumn of 2013 and the adult vocal ensemble is nearly doubled in size! Very exciting :D
In other news, I completed my biomedicine course (I've always believed that singers should understand their bodies as their instruments are housed inside them- much more on this in future posts). My final exam took place the day before I headed away to California to see my family back home. I am looking forward to applying this knowledge to my teaching & my own singing.
I really enjoyed spending lovely lazy July days in sunny California, with a much needed holiday catching up with family & friends.
'O Emperor's' new album 'Vitreous,' which features the female voices of Voci Nuove (including yours truly!) was released on July 12, 2013. It's a fantastic album & has been receiving numerous accolades upon its release. The Sunday Times named it Album Of The Week! Be sure to check out the track 'Brainchild' - The album can be purchased in any music shop, on Amazon, or downloaded on iTunes!
Upon my return to Ireland, I received some exciting news about upcoming performance opportunities, so please 'stay tuned' and catch the next post (I promise you won't have to wait so long this time!) ;-)
Beautiful views from atop Mount Diablo in California! I enjoyed this gorgeous view with my husband and parents in July!
My husband & I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary while on holiday in California, enjoying a much needed break together. :-)
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