Derry International Choir Festival Was a Big Success

One of our October highlights was the City of Derry International Choir Festival. We began our visit in the historic and stunning Guildhall, leading a workshop for over 900 primary school children. This (very!) interactive session was great fun, and the students were fantastic both in their singing and their attentive listening. It was joyous to be surrounded by so many young talents who reminded us that music truly bridges generations - the finale, where we had the whole room singing a 500-year-old piece by Spanish Renaissance composer Cristobal de Morales, was quite something!

Then later on, we performed a programme of Baroque gems in the Guildhall’s beautiful acoustic, including the Musikalische Exequien by Heinrich Schütz, motets by members of the Bach family, and two Schütz-inspired new works by the wonderful David Fennessy. We were thrilled that David was able to join us for the performance, and he and Rory discussed his pieces, their inspiration and his process, with the audience prior to the second half of the concert.

We left Derry inspired by its vibrant choral spirit. The city’s passion for singing and the warmth of its audiences, from hundreds of schoolchildren to seasoned festivalgoers, left us truly grateful.

Photos by Lorcan Doherty