Just us next Saturday December 17th at 7:30pm for the St George’s Parish Choir concert of readings, carols and Christmas music.
Author: Lauren Harte
Parish Choir prepare for Christmas
The end of treble rehearsal today, with four of the recently valedicted choristers along to help to mentor the new probationers. There are 19 choristers and about as many probationers. Come and hear them on December 17th at 7:30pm at the carol concert. The new boys will sing on their own, they already make a great sound, and then will also sing Foote’s arrangement of Silent Night, including a verse in German. We look forward to seeing you there.
Book Launch: A History of St George’s
The launch of Professor Brian Walker’s new book ‘A History of St George’s’ took place yesterday evening in St George’s Parish Church, Belfast. Professor Walker has been working hard on this over recent years and has brought the keen eye and scholarship of a professional historian to the task – and uncovered many gems and forgotten aspects of St George’s history. The book is sumptuously illustrated with many colour plates and will make not only an excellent read but also a wonderful Christmas present for family and friends.
Carol Service in Irish
A special afternoon as Gaeilge as the Honours Choir from The Wallace High School, Lisburn led the carols and sang two exquisite pieces: Veni Emmanuel by Lawson and Suantraí arr Ó Cearrbhaill
Next week, December 11th at 5pm sees the return of the Chamber Choir and they will be joined by the Choral Scholars Training Choir to sing Stanford in G and This is the record of John.
Renaissance Christmas Carols
Service of Lessons and Carols in Irish
Seirbhís Charúil na Nollag, 4 Nollaig, Teampall Naomh Seoirse, Béal Feirste, ag 5pm. Beidh an tUrr Chris Mac Bhruitin, Sagart Cúnta in Ardteampall Macurtin, Inis Ceithleann, i mbun seirbhíse agus beidh Cór Ardscoil Wallace i Lios na gCearrbhach ag canadh iomainn i nGaeilge. Fáilte roimh chách.
The service of Lessons and Carols, as Gaeilge, will take place in St. George’s Church, Belfast this Sunday, December 4 at 5pm. The Rev Chris Mac Bhruitin, Curate in St. Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen, will preside and Wallace High School Honours Choir will sing carols in Irish and Latin at the service. Everyone is welcome.
New Chorister welcomed
This morning Jamie O’Kane received his surplice and was welcomed as a Chorister and full member of the Choir. We hope he enjoys his time at St George’s.
We also saw Carrington Peacock, Patrick Rogan, Jonah Davey and Ben Heatherly graduate into the back row of the Choir. These lovely young men joined the Choir at eight years old and have contributed greatly to the musical life of the Parish. We are delighted that they will continue their choral education in as young men in the back row.
Advent Sunday at St George’s
Advent begins this Sunday, November 27th. Our preacher at 11am Choral Eucharist will be the Rev’d Roger Thompson of the Church Mission Society Ireland. He is responsible for co-ordinating partnership links between sponsoring parishes in Ireland and those individuals who are working overseas on mission placements. Fr Thompson will tell us about the overall work of CMSI and something of the assistance to the Church in Zambia.
Our annual Advent Carol service will take place as usual at 5pm. The music of Advent, from the distant, anterior sound of ‘I look from afar’ to the reworking of ‘Veni Emmanuel’ by Philip Lawson, this Sunday afternoon will set the tone for a devotional advent season. The candlelit procession, the ‘O’ antiphons, readings and advent carols will prepare the way for Christmas. All are welcome.
Launch of ‘A History of St. George’s’
On Thursday 8th December at 7:30pm the launch of Professor Brian Walker’s new book ‘A History of St. George’s’ will take place in the Parish Hall. He has been working hard on this over recent years and it promises to be an interesting and informative read. He has brought the keen eye and scholarship of a professional historian to the task and uncovered many gems and forgotten aspects of St. George’s history. The book is sumptuously illustrated with many colour plates and will make, not only an excellent read but also, a wonderful Christmas present for family and friends. Please do come along, enjoy the refreshments and buy a copy or two.
Sing Joyfully Unto God
At St George’s, as we reflect upon 200 years of ministry and liturgy, we also look forward. How do we progress? A large part of the ministry and witness in St George’s is complemented by the high standard of church music. This is a delicate heritage, one which needs to be conserved and furthered.
St George’s is one of two male voice parish choirs in Ireland, our sister church, St Bartholomew’s in Dublin being the second. Our choristers, from probationer to A-level student, are on a 10 year learning programme, singing excellent music, learning the craftsmanship of the church musician, readying for further university choral scholarships before finally returning to the choir as adults with a deep appreciation for the legacy which we hold so close.
The choral scholars are well prepared for third level choral scholarships and have an excellent knowledge of the vast repertoire that is found in British collegiate and cathedral churches, as well as one-on-one voice training with Maeve Falconer.
This combination of education and Christian witness ensure that St George’s remains an excellent ambassador for choral church music; its liturgy affords good mass settings, anthems or motets; the service of Evensong also provides opportunity for the singing of canticles, responses, psalms and anthems. Evensong is the ‘bread and butter’ service of most choral scholarships, but many students will never be exposed to it in their own churches.
It was with this thought in mind that we decided to further extend our outreach. Students who have less experience of Evensong are invited to join our choral scholars once a month to form the Choral Scholar Training Choir and learn some of the repertoire that their contemporaries in Britain take for granted. We sent letters to the Heads of Music of the schools in Belfast and the surrounding area and invited interested students to come along to sing Evensong at St George’s.
The A-level music course requires that students study a certain number of sacred anthems, which we are also including in our programme over the year. Students are therefore singing different responses, canticles, hymns and anthems each month, whilst learning and performing works that they will also study in school. In addition, the programme opens up the church to girls’ voices, giving an opportunity which we have been unable to provide previously.
The first Evensong for the Choral Scholar Training Choir took place on September 18th, with 33 students from 7 different schools in the Belfast area. Sunday October 23rd saw the second Evensong, when a graduate of Durham and Cambridge gave advice on choral scholarships.
The music committee is applying for funding from outside bodies, to pay for visiting directors from the British college chapels and cathedrals to come and direct Evensong and meet with students afterwards. Past directors and choristers Nigel McClintock, Ian Keatley and Edward McMullan have already agreed to come and ‘guest’ direct
The students also quickly gain a love for choral music and for the heritage which we safeguard; they will progress it into the next generation.
Please do come along on the third Sunday of each month and support these young people. If you know of a young person who might benefit from the experience, please put him/her in touch with David Falconer (Tel: 07824 553695).