Summer School 2013: July 1st to 4th, Maynooth
Credo, Credo, Credo: Amen!
Guest Director: Paul Kenny
Summer School 2013 was described by a number of participants as "the best summer school ever!" The Council invited Fr Paul Kenny to be this year's Guest Director, and Paul's judicious choice of music, along with his patient, good-humoured and skilled direction, made for an immensely enjoyable and useful week. The 2013 Summer School took the Year of Faith as its inspiration with the theme Credo, Credo, Credo: Amen!
Paul, a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, became known worldwide as he directed the music for the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in June 2012. He is a veteran of church music in Ireland, and is well known to liturgical musicians through his editing of the Hosanna hymnal and his work since the early 1980s with Veritas, Columba Press and the National Centre for Liturgy in the editing and producing of print publications and sound recordings: these include the Collected Responsorial Psalms of Fintan O'Carroll and I Sing for Joy: Music from the RTE Church Music Competitions. Paul has served the Association for many years as Council member and Chairperson, in addition to serving on the national Advisory Committee on Church Music.
Paul's work as director was complemented by the range of tutorials on offer. Tom Kendzia led Parish/Contemporary Music in his inimitably uplifting and committed style. Ian Callanan and Ciaran Coll led Music for Young People, a workshop which provided a rich resource of music suitable for school, parish, and community groups, and for all occasions. Aine Mulvey facilitated two levels of Cantor Training, giving participants most useful tips and feedback on vocal production and the art of cantoring. David Connolly led Special Choir in some beautiful a capella contemporary and traditional motets, anthems, and hymns. Organ Tuition met people where they were at in terms of their skills, and the team of Regina Deacy, Dominic Finn, Columba McCann and Eanna McKenna guided participants with patience and great skill. Derek Mahady led Choral Conducting, upskilling participants in how to manage, rehearse, train, and conduct a choir.
Two new workshops this year were particularly welcome: Eoin Conway facilitated two levels of Sight Reading with a clarity and depth of knowledge which participants appreciated greatly. Music by Irish Composers featured Bernard Sexton, Ephrem Feeley and Liam Lawton each presenting a selection of their own music, published and unpublished, and allowing participants to learn with them in addition to gaining insights into the processes - musical, pastoral, and liturgical - inherent in the art of composition. Bernard's workshop provided the opportunity to purchase a complete accompaniment set, as did Ephrem's, while Liam's workshop presented a setting of the Mass parts as Gaeilge, Aifreann Muire na nGael, which has been published. Indeed, a key feature of the week was the inclusion of music by many Irish composers such as Ian Callanan, Ciaran Coll, Oliver Hynes, Damien C. Conway, Stephen McManus, Columba McCann, Ite O’Donovan, John Dexter and Donal Hurley, in the repertoire for liturgies.
The four days saw the usual mix of rehearsal, singing, liturgy, conversation and craic! Archbishop Eamon Martin officially opened the Summer School on Monday evening in the beautiful Maynooth College Chapel, and he also launched an exciting new book collection and CD of liturgical music by Ephrem Feeley, entitled Here in Christ We Gather. The launch included a performance of four pieces from the CD and was attended by a fine crowd who thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings, along with the selection of refreshments which was kindly provided by the Council afterwards. Tuesday evening saw a 'Songs of Praise' style hour in the historic Church of Ireland St Mary's at the College gates, presided over by Rev. Cliff Jeffers. This was followed by the AGM. Wednesday's festive Eucharist was succeeded by a stunning concert of sacred music by Cobh Cathedral Chamber Choir, directed by Dominic Finn, who received a standing ovation from their appreciative audience. The evening was rounded off by the table quiz, a staple item in the summer school calendar! This year, the unique Russell Library in the College opened up to participants for a special tour of ancient manuscripts, and those who availed of the tour were delighted with this opportunity.
This year, the Council decided to run the Summer School for four days (Monday to Thursday), as the final night with half day on Friday tended to be less well attended, with few activities, and represented a significant addition to cost, in an age where costs are rising every year. This year's format enabled participants to avail of all the constituent parts of the summer school experience without accruing rising costs. The Association is, as ever, thankful to the Irish Bishops' Conference and the President of Maynooth College, Monsignor Hugh Connolly, for the provision of all the chapels, rehearsal spaces, and tutorial rooms for summer school at no cost, which represents a massive saving to members. Participants have been asked for their preferences for future formats, and this will be discussed at the Council's September meeting, and the Council will keep in touch with members on this question.
Overall, the week saw plenty of friendships renewed, new ones made, and lots of prayer and praise of God through song. Despite the rich selection of activities and the valuable insights and new material gained, many of the participants likened the week to a retreat, speaking to the ministerial dimension of music-making which the Summer School and the Association hopes to nurture, encourage, and inspire in all who attend. As one participant commented,"I found it very enjoyable, and have lots of new material to bring back to my parish, and I feel motivated for September - let's hope it lasts! Thanks again."
Paul, a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, became known worldwide as he directed the music for the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in June 2012. He is a veteran of church music in Ireland, and is well known to liturgical musicians through his editing of the Hosanna hymnal and his work since the early 1980s with Veritas, Columba Press and the National Centre for Liturgy in the editing and producing of print publications and sound recordings: these include the Collected Responsorial Psalms of Fintan O'Carroll and I Sing for Joy: Music from the RTE Church Music Competitions. Paul has served the Association for many years as Council member and Chairperson, in addition to serving on the national Advisory Committee on Church Music.
Paul's work as director was complemented by the range of tutorials on offer. Tom Kendzia led Parish/Contemporary Music in his inimitably uplifting and committed style. Ian Callanan and Ciaran Coll led Music for Young People, a workshop which provided a rich resource of music suitable for school, parish, and community groups, and for all occasions. Aine Mulvey facilitated two levels of Cantor Training, giving participants most useful tips and feedback on vocal production and the art of cantoring. David Connolly led Special Choir in some beautiful a capella contemporary and traditional motets, anthems, and hymns. Organ Tuition met people where they were at in terms of their skills, and the team of Regina Deacy, Dominic Finn, Columba McCann and Eanna McKenna guided participants with patience and great skill. Derek Mahady led Choral Conducting, upskilling participants in how to manage, rehearse, train, and conduct a choir.
Two new workshops this year were particularly welcome: Eoin Conway facilitated two levels of Sight Reading with a clarity and depth of knowledge which participants appreciated greatly. Music by Irish Composers featured Bernard Sexton, Ephrem Feeley and Liam Lawton each presenting a selection of their own music, published and unpublished, and allowing participants to learn with them in addition to gaining insights into the processes - musical, pastoral, and liturgical - inherent in the art of composition. Bernard's workshop provided the opportunity to purchase a complete accompaniment set, as did Ephrem's, while Liam's workshop presented a setting of the Mass parts as Gaeilge, Aifreann Muire na nGael, which has been published. Indeed, a key feature of the week was the inclusion of music by many Irish composers such as Ian Callanan, Ciaran Coll, Oliver Hynes, Damien C. Conway, Stephen McManus, Columba McCann, Ite O’Donovan, John Dexter and Donal Hurley, in the repertoire for liturgies.
The four days saw the usual mix of rehearsal, singing, liturgy, conversation and craic! Archbishop Eamon Martin officially opened the Summer School on Monday evening in the beautiful Maynooth College Chapel, and he also launched an exciting new book collection and CD of liturgical music by Ephrem Feeley, entitled Here in Christ We Gather. The launch included a performance of four pieces from the CD and was attended by a fine crowd who thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings, along with the selection of refreshments which was kindly provided by the Council afterwards. Tuesday evening saw a 'Songs of Praise' style hour in the historic Church of Ireland St Mary's at the College gates, presided over by Rev. Cliff Jeffers. This was followed by the AGM. Wednesday's festive Eucharist was succeeded by a stunning concert of sacred music by Cobh Cathedral Chamber Choir, directed by Dominic Finn, who received a standing ovation from their appreciative audience. The evening was rounded off by the table quiz, a staple item in the summer school calendar! This year, the unique Russell Library in the College opened up to participants for a special tour of ancient manuscripts, and those who availed of the tour were delighted with this opportunity.
This year, the Council decided to run the Summer School for four days (Monday to Thursday), as the final night with half day on Friday tended to be less well attended, with few activities, and represented a significant addition to cost, in an age where costs are rising every year. This year's format enabled participants to avail of all the constituent parts of the summer school experience without accruing rising costs. The Association is, as ever, thankful to the Irish Bishops' Conference and the President of Maynooth College, Monsignor Hugh Connolly, for the provision of all the chapels, rehearsal spaces, and tutorial rooms for summer school at no cost, which represents a massive saving to members. Participants have been asked for their preferences for future formats, and this will be discussed at the Council's September meeting, and the Council will keep in touch with members on this question.
Overall, the week saw plenty of friendships renewed, new ones made, and lots of prayer and praise of God through song. Despite the rich selection of activities and the valuable insights and new material gained, many of the participants likened the week to a retreat, speaking to the ministerial dimension of music-making which the Summer School and the Association hopes to nurture, encourage, and inspire in all who attend. As one participant commented,"I found it very enjoyable, and have lots of new material to bring back to my parish, and I feel motivated for September - let's hope it lasts! Thanks again."
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A VISITOR'S BLOG
Thanks to Cathy Desmond for some photographs and her interesting observations on Summer School 2013.
Credo, Amen!
At long last – it's July and school's out, the sun is shining and all roads lead to the beach. Not for everybody though. Granted temporary release from their lofts, organists, choir directors and choristers made a bee-line for Maynooth where the annual summer school took place in the leafy campus of St Patrick’s College. I joined the gathering of 200 or so musicians on the 3rd day of the 4 day summer school run by the Irish Church Music Association. The format was the usual mix of formal tutorials, liturgical services and performances with meals and informal meet and greet sessions. The proceedings were conducted as usual amid the 19th century architectural splendour designed by Pugin Here are my highlights of a packed day at the 44th summer school.
‘Avoid the conductor’s sniff’ and drop your r’s’ advised Derek Mahady in the Renehan Hall to a group aspiring to more constructive arm waving. In the chapel a small group of organ scholars were hanging on every word uttered by master organist, Columba McCann as he gave advice on best pedal pushing practice followed by a master class on a Bach Fantasias. How anyone masters even simple chorales with hands and feet seems amazing enough but seeing and hearing Ríona Curtin transform the thick black spiders on the page of her Bach manuscript to magical sounds on the chapel organ seemed almost miraculous to me. I could have happily sat and listened to them discuss the finer points of organ playing all day. There was time also for a peek at the ancient manuscripts hidden away in the Russell Library, an architectural gem which is well worth seeking out if you are on the campus.
A trio of contemporary Irish composers presented their work over the course of the week and I sat in on Ephrem Feeley’s engaging afternoon workshop as he presented a selection of his music and gave insights and advice on their best use. The young composer, based in Meath, launched a newly published collection of his work in CD and manuscript form earlier in the week. The collection of 14 pieces has strong melodic content in a range of keys and metres that will appeal to most choirs and should be a useful addition to liturgical resources for schools. Instrumentalists will particularly enjoy playing the obligado parts conveniently included in the publication.
There was ample opportunity to flex the sight singing muscles as director of the summer school, Paul Kenny steered the attendees through a rehearsal of the mountain of music to accompany the afternoon liturgy. There is an emphasis generally on contemporary work by Irish and American composers I was privileged to be invited to play a violin part for the Joncas settings, a welcome opportunity to play in the unique sacred space.
Cobh Cathedral Chamber Choir was a balanced 16 piece ensemble under director Dominic Finn. They presented an interesting programme of ancient and contemporary sacred music. Irish composers Sean Davey, Liam Lawton and Ronan McDonagh featured and Tom Kendzia was in the audience to hear his piece Pieta performed. There were several pieces by English composer Phillip Stopford. There was impressive solo singing from several members but it was the extraordinary hush of the pianissimos that made the greatest impression. Lucky Cobh denizens to have such a high calibre ensemble to regularly enrich its liturgies. It was a rich and satisfying conclusion to the musical offerings of the week.
Thanks to Cathy Desmond for some photographs and her interesting observations on Summer School 2013.
Credo, Amen!
At long last – it's July and school's out, the sun is shining and all roads lead to the beach. Not for everybody though. Granted temporary release from their lofts, organists, choir directors and choristers made a bee-line for Maynooth where the annual summer school took place in the leafy campus of St Patrick’s College. I joined the gathering of 200 or so musicians on the 3rd day of the 4 day summer school run by the Irish Church Music Association. The format was the usual mix of formal tutorials, liturgical services and performances with meals and informal meet and greet sessions. The proceedings were conducted as usual amid the 19th century architectural splendour designed by Pugin Here are my highlights of a packed day at the 44th summer school.
‘Avoid the conductor’s sniff’ and drop your r’s’ advised Derek Mahady in the Renehan Hall to a group aspiring to more constructive arm waving. In the chapel a small group of organ scholars were hanging on every word uttered by master organist, Columba McCann as he gave advice on best pedal pushing practice followed by a master class on a Bach Fantasias. How anyone masters even simple chorales with hands and feet seems amazing enough but seeing and hearing Ríona Curtin transform the thick black spiders on the page of her Bach manuscript to magical sounds on the chapel organ seemed almost miraculous to me. I could have happily sat and listened to them discuss the finer points of organ playing all day. There was time also for a peek at the ancient manuscripts hidden away in the Russell Library, an architectural gem which is well worth seeking out if you are on the campus.
A trio of contemporary Irish composers presented their work over the course of the week and I sat in on Ephrem Feeley’s engaging afternoon workshop as he presented a selection of his music and gave insights and advice on their best use. The young composer, based in Meath, launched a newly published collection of his work in CD and manuscript form earlier in the week. The collection of 14 pieces has strong melodic content in a range of keys and metres that will appeal to most choirs and should be a useful addition to liturgical resources for schools. Instrumentalists will particularly enjoy playing the obligado parts conveniently included in the publication.
There was ample opportunity to flex the sight singing muscles as director of the summer school, Paul Kenny steered the attendees through a rehearsal of the mountain of music to accompany the afternoon liturgy. There is an emphasis generally on contemporary work by Irish and American composers I was privileged to be invited to play a violin part for the Joncas settings, a welcome opportunity to play in the unique sacred space.
Cobh Cathedral Chamber Choir was a balanced 16 piece ensemble under director Dominic Finn. They presented an interesting programme of ancient and contemporary sacred music. Irish composers Sean Davey, Liam Lawton and Ronan McDonagh featured and Tom Kendzia was in the audience to hear his piece Pieta performed. There were several pieces by English composer Phillip Stopford. There was impressive solo singing from several members but it was the extraordinary hush of the pianissimos that made the greatest impression. Lucky Cobh denizens to have such a high calibre ensemble to regularly enrich its liturgies. It was a rich and satisfying conclusion to the musical offerings of the week.
