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7th December 2011The “Great” Christmas Concert 2011 took place on Wednesday, December 7th 2011 at the National Concert Hall featuring
The LASSUS SCHOLARS and PICCOLO LASSO ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil 2011 Prize-winners
Special Guest Soloist: Miriam Murphy, soprano The Orlando Chamber Orchestra (Leader: Gillian Williams) Ite O’Donovan (Conductor),
Programme will include: Christmas favourites: Adams: O Holy Night, Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride; Rousing choruses by Handel, Mozart. Beethoven and Gounod. Operatic arias including Wagner: 'Dich teure Halle' from Tannhauser, Audience Carols and singalong Hallelujah Chorus.
A spell-binding Christmas Concert for all the family! Be part of it and sing all your favourite carols and choruses under the magic baton of Ite O’Donovan with Piccolo Lasso, the Lassus Scholars, orchestra and mesmerizing soprano soloist Miriam Murphy!
Tickets: € 25, € 20 and € 15 (Choir balcony) Concessions for Groups NCH Box Office: Tel 0!-4170000
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Ss Peter and Paul’s Church, Cork
Organist: Paul McKeever

Saturday, 9 July
Sunday 10 July
5.00pm Pontifical Vespers
Monday 11 July
12th June 2011
The Lassus Scholars sing in St Michael's Church, Dun Laoghaire
Tomas Luis de Victoria(1548-1611) Marian Motets
Colin Mawby (b.1936) Locus iste, Jesus Christ the Apple Tree,
Alleluia, Christus Resurrexiit, James MacMillan (b.1959) Christus vincit, Jubilate Deo
The “Great” Christmas Concert
Proudly sponsored by

featuring 2010 Feis Ceoil Prizewinners
Mark Irwin (Winner of Tenor Solo)
Muireann Ni Dhubhghaill (Winner of Senior Flute)
Joseph Ryan (French Horn – Winner of Yamaha Brass Bursary)
The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso
Guest Soloist: Imelda Drumm(mezzo-soprano),
The Orlando Chamber Orchestra
(Leader: Gillian Williams)
ITE O'DONOVAN (Conductor)
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REPORT - PUERI CANTORES CONGRESS ROME
Monday, December 27th: Choir members and families gathered at Dublin airport for the beginning of what was to be a most memorable trip to Rome. The return of good weather meant that flights were on time and, with no hitches, we arrived at our accommodation at around 9.15 p.m. We quickly got organised and went round the corner to Pinocchio’s restaurant which was to become our ‘home from home!’
NATIONAL MASS - Wednesday, December 29th:
We had an early start, setting out by metro, with a change and breakfast! at Termini. At 9.15 a.m. we arrived at the beautiful Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls for 10:00 a.m. Mass with the singers from the American Federation of Pueri Cantores. The American parents were very impressed with this small Irish choir of many young singers who sang out so well! After Mass a visit to the tomb of St Paul with Fr Robert McCabe (Chaplain to the Irish Federation of Pueri Cantores who was with us for the week) giving us lots of interesting information on the history of St Paul and of the basilica.
Following this we headed off by metro to the Colosseum and from there walked to the Irish College (near the Basilica of St John Lateran) to visit the beautiful chapel with wonderful new mosaics.
The afternoon and evening were free so families had another opportunity of visiting many of the sights of Rome.
That evening, Ite O’D. and Fr Robert attended the Pueri Cantores Gala Concert in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Even though Piccolo Lasso had not applied to sing in this concert there was an Irish contribution, The most popular item in the concert was Seinn Alleluia, Ms O’D’s arrangement of The Seven Joys of Mary, (It is on our Angel Tidings CD) sung in Irish by the German Choir, the Essener Domsingknaben directed by Georg Sump (who organized the trip to Essen by The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso in 2004)
PAPAL AUDIENCE
Thursday, December 30th:
Another early start! We stopped for breakfast at a local coffee bar and at 8.30 am arrived at Sala Nervi. Today the choirs would not only meet together to have a rehearsal but would also have the opportunity of seeing and even meeting Pope Benedict XVI who is a very good musician and a great lover of good church music.
On stage to welcome him in the group representing all the National federations were Kate McGowan and Max O’Neill.


All the National Presidents of Pueri Cantores were introduced to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XV1, and invited to bring with them one choir singer. Representing Piccolo Lasso was Katie Conway who was celebrating her 12th Birthday!


It was a beautiful and most prayerful celebration.
The chief celebrant was Archbishop Piero Marini who is President of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses and will be responsible for the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in 2012.


MASS FOR NEW YEAR’S DAY
By now we were well used to early rising and, as the Metro was not running, we hire a bus to bring us from our accommodation to St Peter’s Basilica for the Mass for New Year’s Day, celebrated by Pope Benedict. Crowds of singers filled the square and when the doors of the great basilica opened at 8.20 a.m. there was a rush to get good seats inside! The 4,500 singers rehearsed, accompanied by a brass ensemble and the Mass for Peace beganat 10.00 a.m.



At the end of Mass Mark and Conor met Cardinal Raymond Burke for whom The Lassus Scholars have sung in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome (January 2010) and at FOTA III. (Cork July 2010).

On New Year’s evening all the families gathered together in L’Eau Vive restaurant, near the Pantheon, for a wonderful meal together.
MASS in SANTA TRINITÀ
Sunday January 2nd:


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Photographs from the Irish National Convention of Pueri Cantores which took place in the beautiful College Chapel of St Patrick's Seminary, Maynooth.
The Mass in the usus antiquior (the first since Vatican II) took place in the beautiful College Chapel of the Irish National Seminary.
It was celebrated by Monsignor Michael Schmitz, Vicar General and Provincial Superior of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest for Ireland and the United States of America.
As this year marked the Beatification of John Henry Newman the decision was made to give the children a real experience of the solemnity and majesty of Holy Mass as it would have been celebrated by Blessed John Henry Newman himself.
The music reflected the solemnity of the occasion and included hymns by John Henry Newman, Missa Pueri Cantores (Menschick), motets and plainchant.
The plainchant propers for the Feast of St Hedwig were sung by Piccolo Lasso.
Children's choirs attended from many parts of Ireland including Dublin, Limerick, Donegal, Galway, Sligo. Louth and Kildare. They were directed by Irish National President of Pueri Cantores, Ite O'Donovan. Organist: Mark Keane.
Two hymns by Blessed John Henry Newman were sung - Praise to The Holiest in the Height and Lead Kindly Light.
YouTube Videos are available including part of homily by Msgr Schmitz at http://www.gloria.tv/?user=2317
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THE LASSUS SCHOLARS
appeared on
RTE ONE's
iWitness documentary
broadcast on Wednesday 1st of September 2010.
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THE LASSUS SCHOLARS
SING AT
FOTA III INTERNATIONAL LITURGICAL CONFERENCE
"BENEDICT XVI and SACRED MUSIC"
See PDF of Cork Conference 2010
Review: Lassus Scholars Fota III
Saturday July 10th @ 7.30 p.m.
Pontifical Vespers (EF)
Celebrant: Archbishop Raymond Burke
St Peter & Paul’s Church, Cork
♫
Sunday July 11th @ 11.30 a.m.
Pontifical High Mass (EF)
Celebrant: Archbishop Raymond Burke
Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli
St Peter & Paul’s Church, Cork
♫
Monday July 12th @ 12.30 p.m.
Solemn High Mass (EF)
Byrd: Mass for Five Voices
St Peter & Paul’s Church, Cork
Further information at
The St Colman's Society For Catholic Liturgy
♫
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The Lassus Scholars sang at a Mass organized by the Latin Mass Society of Ireland, offered at St. Mary's Church, Navan in the Diocese of Meath. The celebrant was Fr. Wulfran Lebocq, the deacon Aaron Huberfeld, the subdeacon Fedrico de Martin Pazat de Lys.
Year For Priests Conference for Clergy
An Irish Choir Director’s Perspective
Ite O’Donovan Director of The Lassus Scholars
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It's almost 3.45 p.m. on Monday January 4th 2010 and the members of the Lassus Scholars, right on schedule, are meeting at St Peter’s Statue, right in front of the imposing façade of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, before entering into the hallowed grounds of the Vatican city to sing the first of five services for the Year For Priests Clergy Conference for English speaking clergy. A daunting proposition when one reads the proposed musical programme, even to the choir director who helped plan it! No time to contemplate such musical implications as the choir members are ushered past security to enter the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae built in 1996, where, in modern times, the cardinals reside during the papal conclaves.
That an Irish choir be invited to provide sacred music for an international conference of clergy from Australia, America and Europe held in Rome is a most unusual prospect at any time, but at a time when the Irish Catholic church is undergoing a period of great crisis following the publication of the Ryan and Murphy reports during 2009 it borders on the extraordinary.
Undaunted, the young ladies and men of the Lassus Scholars find their places in the beautiful modern chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae and set about to rehearse the music programme for the afternoon. Solemn Vespers in English, Novus Ordo, with a Magnificat setting by Lassus, followed by Benediction with the Latin hymns O Salutaris and Tantum Ergo will not overly challenge the musical resources of the group, but as we say in Ireland ‘Tosach maith, leath na hoibre’ (a good start halves the work) and we certainly hope to set a standard of music making which we will continue to expand on during the week.
The Service commences with Adeste fideles and immediately a joyful prayerful atmosphere descends upon all present. The musical psalm tones carry the ancient texts as the assembled clergy join with us in the universal prayer of the church. Inspiring words from Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett set the mood for the Conference which, from a lay person’s point of view, seems to wish to refresh and revitalise these individual clergymen who have travelled from many parts of the world to seek inspiration and direction in their individual and collective ministeries.
Benediction is followed by a rendition of Lassus’s wonderful 8-part motet Tui sunt caeli “Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth, the world and the fullness thereof thou hast founded: Justice and judgment are the preparation of thy throne” a favourite with the Lassus Scholars and which they sang on this occasion with great panache. A good choral start indeed. Liturgically all was in place with dignified processions, lots of incense and a deep pervading sense of the majesty and awe in the presence of God which, alas, many Irish congregations have rarely found in church in recent decades.
As the 77 priests processed out past the singers during the organ postlude, the choir-members are delighted by the very specific gestures of appreciation and commendation that are expressed (albeit non liturgically!) by the clergy. “Wow, they exclaimed, one priest clapped his walking-stick against his music book, another gave us the thumbs-up sign! I think they liked us!”
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Tuesday’s Solemn Pontifical Mass, also in the New Rite, (Vatican II) took place in the ancient church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, the main celebrant being Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos
Here the programme was Lassus’s magnificent 8-part Missa Vinum Bonum, with Palestrina’s Hodie Christus Natus est (8-part) and Lassus’s Ave Verum. The plainchant Introit sounded magnificent in this 4th century Basilica and seemed to connect the worshippers of the past, when Rome was the centre of the early Christian world, with the international gathering present who could rightfully be said to represent the universal church of the early 21st century. From the choir’s point of view, it was wonderful to sing Lassus’s setting of the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus and double Agnus Dei, knowing that it was viewed as an integral part of the Liturgy. Here we would not be told to omit or cut short any part of this wonderful composition. Here our music mattered and contributed to the liturgical and spiritual experience of those gathered before us, clergymen and members of the public.
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While choir-members had spent the day in rehearsals and sight-seeing, the priests before us in Santa Maria in Trastevere had had a rigorous day of seminars. At the end of this solemn Mass, during which the aptly chosen responsorial psalm for the day “You are a Priest forever, a Priest like Melchizedek of Old” had resounded throughout the building, we witnessed our clerical friends go down on bended knee to re-commit themselves, with great sincerity, to their clerical vocation. Oh that such a scene could have been witnessed in Ireland! Oh that the Irish clergy, en-masse, could be moved to demonstrate their commitment to the faithful as professional Christians (my personal term) in humility and service, and demonstrate their personal on-going commitment not only to a God-given vocation but also to the faithful in Ireland!
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Wednesday morning, January 6th, The Lassus Scholars arrived at the church of Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini, near the Sistine Bridge, and had breakfast at a local bar before entering the church for rehearsal at 8.50 a.m.
In 2008, following the publication in June 2007 of Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter “Summorum Pontificum”, the Pontiff personally chose SS Trinita dei Pellegrini as the first Rome parish to be dedicated entirely to the Extraordinary Rite (Vatican I).
The church, closed for some years, shows signs of a new invigorating life. Though the choir balcony was small and dusty and the pipe organ totally out of commission, the acoustic was amazing and the Lassus Scholars gave a fine performance of Palestrina’s Missa Tu es Petrus at the 10.30 am. Epiphany Mass celebrated in the Extraordinary Rite by the parish priest, Fr Joseph Kramer, an Australian priest who has lived in Rome for over 30 years. This Mass was not part of the Clergy Conference schedule but that same afternoon, in SS Trinita dei Pellegrini, the Lassus Scholars, now positioned downstairs, led the singing of Solemn Latin Vespers and Benediction (Extraordinary Rite) with the main celebrant being the Dominican Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia. How wonderful for the choir-members to sing all five psalms of the second Vespers of the Epiphany in Latin to the ancient plainchant melodies with a full response from the congregation of clergy gathered before us. I had been asked prior to the service how long was the setting of the Palestrina’s 8 part Magnificat. Primi Toni. Fearfully (expecting that being long would be an issue) I had mumbled ‘about four or five minutes.’ “Wonderful!” was the reply. “The longer the better!” What joyful words to a dedicated musician who fully understands the potential spiritual dimension and effectiveness of good music sung well in Liturgy! In fact during the Vespers we were asked to stop before the Gloria Patri as the elaborate ritual of incensation would take place before we continued with the words of praise to the Divine Trinity. Just before the Benediction the Lassus Scholars gave a most beautiful and most uplifting rendition of Victoria’s hauntingly beautiful O Magnum Mysterium. As choir director, I was so proud of them.
Thursday January 7th. Today is a special, and a busy day. For the first time since the close of Vatican II in 1965, a mass setting by Haydn would be sung in the Papal Archbasilica of St John Lateran during Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Rite, celebrated by Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Musically much had to be done. The Lassus Scholars had to rehearse the complete plainchant Propers of the day and then join with the orchestral players (members of the Rome Opera Orchestra) to rehearse Haydn’s Missa Cellensis in C (Mariazellermesse composed in 1782). This is a glorious choral mass, composed before Archbishop Colloredo’s edict of 1781, banning the liturgical performance of mass compositions with orchestra for monetary reasons, took effect. From 2.00 p.m. the massive Archbasilica resounded with sweet sounds as tempos were chosen to suit the acoustic, music was rehearsed and singers and players had time to become a united and confident ensemble for this historic occasion.
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In addition to the Haydn Mass the Lassus Scholars sang Stanford’s exquisite Beati Quorum Via and were joined by the orchestra for Mozart’s Ave verum and Laudate Dominum The dramatic organ processional played by Fr Nicholas Dillon was balanced by the orchestral Recessional which was Mozart’s Epistle Sonata K 278, scored (as was the Missa Cellensis) for two oboes, two trumpets, timpani and strings. As the Liturgy progressed, we all knew that our music was contributing to the prayerful atmosphere. We also knew that we were giving a good musical performance, but it was only when we came home and watched the YOUTUBE video links on the New Liturgical Movement website that we could fully appreciate the wonderful ceremonial celebration in which we were participating. It was magnificent! It was heroic! It was awe-inspiring! And we had helped create it!
Friday January 8th. 530 am. Wake-up call for the members of the Lassus Scholars. Soon after 6.00 a.m. we were en route to the Vatican and arrived by 7.00 a.m., having stopped for that vital early morning coffee. Rehearsal was not possible in-situ so we just stood outside the entrance and with the help of a tuning fork went through the musical programme. In addition to Palestrina’s Missa Tu es Petrus which we had, thankfully, sung on Wednesday, we also sang his 6 part motet on which the parody mass was based. Durufle’s wonderful Tu es Petrus was to be the Gospel acclamation and we hoped to find space for his hauntingly beautiful Ubi Caritas. Bruckner’s magnificent Ave Maria was prepared for the Offertory. Then with warmed-up voices we entered St Peter’s basilica, one of the most magnificent sacred places in the world, to sing the 8.00 am. final Mass of the Clergy Conference at the Altar of the Chair, celebrated in the New Rite by Archbishop Raymond Burke. Despite the early hour, The Lassus Scholars were in good voice throughout. Ubi Caritas was sung as a second motet at the Communion following which the assembled clergy joined us in a strong rendition of the hymn Holy God We Praise thy Name before the long procession of clergy exited the Basilica. It was all over. We were relieved that all had gone so well but also sad the great adventure, indeed the great pilgrimage, was at an end. As we stood on the steps in front of the Altar of the Chair to take the usual choir photo, we were surprised to see the clergy, still in liturgical dress, coming out. Thinking they were, like us, looking for the photo opportunity we were bowled over to discover that, no, they were coming out to thank us, to share their heart-felt gratitude with the Irish singers who had contributed to their Roman Liturgies.
After the short thank you speeches a priest spontaneously began to sing the plainchant Salve Regina. Immediately the entire group, clergy and choir, joined in. We stood there, singing and smiling, sensing the sincere gratitude of our priestly brothers and knowing in our deepest hearts that we were part of a heavenly fellowship.
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On the New Liturgical Movement website I have since found the words spoken by Msgr. Guido Marini, Pontifical Master of Liturgical Ceremonies, to those who attended the Year for Priests Clergy Conference
“Why does the Church insist on proposing certain forms as characteristic of sacred and liturgical music which make them distinct from all other forms of music? Why, also, do Gregorian chant and the classical sacred polyphony turn out to be the forms to be imitated, in light of which liturgical and even popular music should continue to be produced today?
The answer to these questions lies precisely in what we have sought to assert with regard to the spirit of the liturgy. It is properly those forms of music, in their holiness, their goodness, and their universality, which translate in notes, melodies and singing the authentic liturgical spirit: by leading to adoration of the mystery celebrated, by favouring an authentic and integral participation, by helping the listener to capture the sacred and thereby the essential primacy of God acting in Christ, and finally by permitting a musical development that is anchored in the life of the Church and the contemplation of its mystery.”
This, Reverend Fathers, is what the Lassus Scholars endeavours to do when we sing in a liturgical celebration.
Thank you for allowing us to do so for you.
Ite O’Donovan
Dublin, January 12th 2010
Photos and Videos courtesy John Sonnen Used with permission
Slideshow courtesy of John Loughman
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THE LASSUS SCHOLARS
sang in Westminster Cathedral, London
on April 18th and 19th 2009

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THE LASSUS SCHOLARS visited ROME in 2007
This cultural visit was Grant-aided by
Culture Ireland
From The Irish Times, June 23rd
Written by Laim McAuley
I am one of 30 choristers gathered in a large, vaulted, underground
chamber, half-lit by discreet floodlighting and by the glow of
candles. There is a smell of earth and of incense, writes Liam
McAuley.
Together with a group of robed clerics, we are chanting the Latin
litany of the saints in honour of a 19th-century Irish priest around
whose tomb, and before whose portrait, we are gathered. "... Sancte
Clemens, ora pro eo... Omnes sancti Martyres, orate pro eo..."
The scene seems unreal, like a clip from a film, or a dream of half-
forgotten childhood days as an altar-boy. But I am perfectly alert, I
feel the ground under my feet, and I know exactly where I am:
beneath the basilica of San Clemente, just 300 yards from the
Colosseum in Rome. I remind myself that when I became a member of the
Lassus Scholars, the Dublin-based choir founded, directed and inspired
by Ite O'Donovan, I had hoped to find myself going to exotic places,
and not just in a musical sense.
The scene I describe occurred at the start of this month, when the
Lassus Scholars travelled to Rome at the invitation of the prior of
San Clemente, Fr John Cunningham, to help celebrate the 150th
anniversary of the extraordinary excavations undertaken there by
Joseph Mullooly.
The splendid 12th-century basilica, named after the saint and pope
Clement I, had been in the care of Irish Dominicans since 1667,
following the order's expulsion from Ireland. In 1857 Fr Mullooly, who
had become prior seven years earlier, and was a keen amateur
archaeologist, began a series of digs. These revealed a fourth-
century basilica directly underneath the existing church, containing
several notable frescos, as well as the tomb of St Cyril, "Apostle of
the Slavs", inventor of the Cyrillic alphabet and hence the founder of
Slavonic literature.
At an even lower level are the remains of a pagan temple of the late
2nd century, dedicated to the god Mithras, as well as a large house
dating from the first century. This is believed to have been the home
of the Roman consul and martyr Titus Flavius Clemens, one of the first
of the Roman nobles to become a Christian, and a contemporary of St
Clement.
Despite his priceless discoveries - which can be viewed on the
excellent website http://www.basilicasanclemente.com - relatively
little is known about Joseph Mullooly himself. He was born at Lehery,
near Lanesboro, Co Longford on March 19th, 1812, a son of the farmer
Gilbert Mullooly and his wife, Bridget Dowd. In 1840 he set out for
Italy (allegedly with just a half-crown in his pocket), where he
entered the Dominican Order the following year. His book 'St Clement,
Pope and Martyr, and his Basilica in Rome' was published in 1869. He
died on June 25th, 1880, five days after collapsing at Mass. He was
buried in Campo di Verano cemetery, but in 1912 his remains were
returned to San Clemente and placed under the main altar of the lower
basilica, which he himself had installed there.
His name should become better known in his native land with An Post's
issue of a commemorative stamp, due in September, in response to
promptings from San Clemente. Macedonia and Bulgaria have already
issued stamps in honour of his historic discoveries. Greece is to
follow suit later this year.
Fr Mullooly would surely have been gratified by such public honours -
and by the recent celebration of his life and legacy at the basilica.
The procession to his underground tomb followed a commemorative sung
Mass led by Cardinal Adrian Simonis of the Netherlands, titular of San
Clemente. On the following evening, Sunday June 3rd, the Lassus
Scholars, with regular soloists Vivienne Hassell and Eoin Murphy and
accompanist Celine Kelly, gave a fund- raising concert. This was
originally planned to take place in the cloister, but was moved into
the basilica because of the rain which, earlier that day, had dampened
the crowds gathered in St Peter's Square for the canonisation of
Blessed Charles of Mount Argus, Dublin. Given that the Irish had two
causes for celebration that day, a little Irish weather was probably
not out of place. And the Italians (as well as the countless foreign
visitors to Rome) had enjoyed warm sunshine throughout Saturday, which
was Italy's National Day.
The concert programme reflected the long history of San Clemente,
ranging from plainchant through the Renaissance masters Palestrina and
Victoria to Brahms, Bruckner, Fauré and the 20th-century composers
Duruflé and Randall Thompson. The basilica's Slavonic associations
were echoed in an excerpt from the 'Liturgy of St John Chrysostom' and
in Rachmaninov's 'Bogoroditsye dyevo' (Ave Maria).
Three motets by Dublin-born Charles Villiers Stanford provided an
ecumenical touch, and the Irish accent was strengthened with 'Ag an
bPásadh 'bhi in gCána', 'Suantraí ár Slánaitheora' and 'Seinn
Alleluia'. The programme began and ended with joyous anthems by Mozart
- 'Te Deum' and 'Regina Coeli', and also included his 'Magnificat' and
'Laudate Dominum'.
The audience included Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, Bishop Colm
O'Reilly of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Minister for Education Mary
Hanafin, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, the Irish Ambassador to Italy, Sean O
hUiginn, the ambassadors of Ireland, Macedonia and Bulgaria to the
Holy See, as well as members of the Mullooly family from Ireland and
the US.
With the concert - and the feasting that followed - successfully over,
Irish voices raised in song could be heard again, echoing long into
the night outside the nearby Café San Clemente, as a group of Lassus
Scholars traded tunes with a bunch of Roman waiters.
Ireland's unofficial apostle Danny Boy was duly honoured, as was that
well-known place of pilgrimage, the Bog Down in the Valley-O.
The Lassus Scholars, together with the children's choir Piccolo Lasso,
will perform in the 80th birthday tribute to Veronica Dunne at the
National Concert Hall on August 2nd.
© 2007 The Irish Times
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Highlights
On Saturday, July 10th The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso travelled to Germany to participate in the 32nd International Congress of Pueri Cantores in Essen and Cologne.
For the first half of this cultural visit, the choirs were hosted by the families of the Kinder und Jungenchor St Lamberti in Gladbeck. On Sunday, July 11th the choirs came together in St Lamberti Church, Gladbeck to sing Solemn Mass. The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso performed Mozart's "Spatzenmesse" (soloists: Aoife Daly, Ainle O Shea, Charles Dillon, Eoin Supple) while the St. Lamberti choirs sang the hymns and acclamations.
At 5.00 p.m. that evening an International Choral Service (Solemn Vespers) took place in Essen Cathedral. Choirs from Germany, France, Poland and Ireland together performed the psalms and hymns and each choir was also invited to perform one motet by itself. Between 7.00 and 8.00 p.m the choirs gave an outdoor recital of folk song. The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso were last to perform and received a rapturous applause for their singing of Star of the County Down, Eileen Og, Danny Boy and Molly Malone.
The main event of the first part of the congress took place on the evening of Tuesday, July 13th in the newly opened Essener Philharmonie. A Choral Gala Concert featuring six international choirs was presented before an audience of 2,000. Each choir sang a programme of 20 minutes duration. The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso sang motets by Lassus, Dering, Colin Mawby, Maurice Durufle and Irish song arrangements by Fintan O'Carroll (soloist: Aoife Daly) and Ite O'Donovan. In the final piece (Ite O'Donovan's arrangement of "Seinn Alleluia" with soloist Eoin Supple) the audience was invited to participate. The Irish singers, aware throughout the performance of an attentive audience, were nonetheless overwhelmed by the eruption of thunderous applause and a standing ovation at the conclusion of their programme. The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso, with their director Ite O'Donovan, had won the hearts of the German audience.
On Wednesday, July 14th a farewell service was held at 2.30 p.m. in Essen Cathedral after which all choirs travelled to Cologne for the second and main part of the Pueri Cantores Congress. On their arrival in Cologne, The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso were greeted by Mrs Brigitte Wagner-Halswick, Irish Honorary Consul General in Cologne.
Despite inclement weather, 6,000 singers approached Cologne Cathedral on foot from various designated points throughout the city. For the first time in 60 years all the heavy benches had been removed from the cathedral to allow standing-room for the singers during the Opening Ceremony. An outdoor ceremony the following morning was unfortunately affected by heavy rain.
At 5.00 p.m. on Thursday, July 15th a group of English speaking-choirs came together to sing Mass at the church of Maria im Kapitol in Cologne. Choirs from the USA, Sweden, Sri Lanka, India and Ireland took part. Mark Keane who was also in Cologne with his Galway Boys and Girls choirs, was organist for the occasion. The music for the service was co-ordinated and conducted by Ite O'Donovan who, in addition to being director of The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso, is also Irish National President of Pueri Cantores. This Mass was attended by Mrs Brigitte Wagner-Halswick, Irish Honorary Consul General in Cologne.
Friday, July 16th was a day for rehearsal (6,000 singers at the Roncalliplatz) and sightseeing. In the evening the singers were entertained at an out-door concert and a spectacular cinematic presentation of light within the cathedral.
On the evening of Saturday, July 17th, The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso performed at the final Gala Choral Concert in the Cologne Philharmonie. This amazing concert hall is built underground in close proximity to the cathedral and seats an audience of 2,000. Singing the same programme of sacred music as at the Essen Gala concert, the The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso were again greeted with rapturous applause and a standing ovation. Over 35 choirs from many nations had, over three days, presented a 20 minute programme in the Cologne Philharmonie, but only the Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso received such a spontaneous and heart-felt ovation from the audience.
The congress ended with an outdoor Mass at the Roncalliplatz on Sunday, July 18th at 10.00 a.m. which was broadcast live on Eurovision. Sinead Mercier, a member of Piccolo Lasso, read the second reading to an audience of 20 million. Roisin Kiberd, also a member of Piccolo Lasso read a prayer at the conclusion of the congress in Cologne Cathedral.
Ite O'Donovan
Director of The Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso
July 20th 2004
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This cultural visit to attend
Chorfestival 2004 is grant aided by the Cultural Relations Committee
of the Department of Arts, Sports & Tourism. (Ireland) |
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| Websites: www.dublinchoralfoundation.ie www.chorfestival2004.de www.bistum-essen.de www.pueri-cantores.de |