25/05/2014

Carrickfergus Grammar School Choir

Nouse Lauluni Soila Sariola

Christ Be With Me Pachelbel arr Rawsthorne

Turot Essik A Segan (The Gypsies) Kodaly

 She Moved Through The Fair Trad arr Anderson/Craig

Sing Me A Song Vecchi

The Way We Were Bergman/Hamlisch

Star Of The County Down trad. Irish arr Goodall

Broadway Recording

The Prince Is Giving A Ball Rogers & Hammerstein

(from Cinderella)

Belfast Operatic Company

One Hamlish/Kleban

(from A Chorus Line)

Tradition Bock/Harnick

(Fiddler On The Roof)

Beauty and the Beast Menken/Ashman/Rice

All That Jazz Kander/Ebb

(From Chicago)

The Black Hills Of Dakota Fain/Webster

(from Calamity Jane)

Farewell Titanic Maury Yeston

(from Titanic, The Musical)

Mamma Mia Andersson/Ulvaeus/Anderson

Edward Craig, from Saintfield County Down, has been synonymous with choral music for the past twenty years. He formed the choir 'Grosvenor' in 1993 and since 2003 he has spearheaded the musical development of students at Carrickfergus Grammar School. Originally inspired by the late Ronnie Lee, Edward believes in everyone's musical potential saying that "as long as a singer is willing to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to a choir it is his job to make them into the best contributor to that choir as he possibly can". He is also a strong advocate for music in the local community most recently organising an eclectic autumn Music Festival in Saintfield.

Carrickfergus Grammar School Choir are directed by Edward Craig and their strong ethos of non-selective membership is drawn from throughout the school.

Carrickfergus Grammar School have won the Secondary School category of the RTÉ Competition for three years running (2011, 2012 and 2013) as well as other music and choral festivals. They recently recorded a Christmas Album with RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

In 2014 they took part in the International Music Festival in Prague winning the Gold Award in the Mixed Voice Choir Category as well as an award for the Outstanding Performance of a Composition: She Moved Through The Fair.

The final opportunity to hear the choir this academic year will be on Monday 30 June, the last day of term, when they will lead the Morning Service for BBC Radio Four.

Founded by John Mercer in 1960 as a church based choral group, Belfast Operatic Company (BOC) has flourished into one of Ireland's best known and talented amateur musical societies. The Company prides itself on catering for a variety of tastes, with productions ranging from new musicals such as Titanic , to modern musical revivals such Hello Dolly, Kiss Me Kate and Annie Get Your Gun, through to traditional favourites such as Gilbert & Sullivan light operetta.

Indeed, this week saw their fantastic production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in Belfast's Grand Opera House. Their regular concert performances also include a wide selection of old and new favourites from West End and Broadway shows as well as light opera classics. 

Colin Scott is one of the provinces youngest and upcoming professional Musical Directors. Colin attended a high school where Jacqui Vance was Head Of Music, who was an expert repetiteur and Musical Director. He started early with a particular aptitude for playing brass instruments, and this sowed the seeds to pursue a career as a professional musician. Unfortunately after winning a scholarship to Trinity College, London, and then graduating, his professional career came to a halt in 2000 when an innate and serious eye problem manifested itself. This brought him home to Belfast where he studied nursing at Queen’s.

In 2006 Colin Scott took up the baton with the Belfast Operatic Company for the first time, and has held it since, through shows such as ‘Beauty And The Beast’ and ‘Titanic The Musical. He has since founded the Belfast Pops Orchestra, a charitable group of professional musicians, who perform to raise money for various charities.