Saturday April 13th - CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC AT KILMORE, CO. ARMAGH 7.30pm
Kilmore Parish Church is a surprisingly large and ancient foundation, incorporating a Celtic round tower inside the present one. In the west gallery is the organ which William Hill & Son built for Holy Trinity Church, Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin in 1865. When Holy Trinity closed in 1919, Telfords' moved the organ to Kilmore, replacing a small Walker organ now nearby at Lisnadill. There have been minimal changes and the instrument is of outstanding historical importance. It is also a magnificent musical instrument and has been restored by the Wells-Kennedy Partnership.
At this evening meeting, our member Philip Elliott MA, FRCO, of Hillsborough Church will demonstrate the organ and the Lowry Singers, conducted by our member Earl Moffitt, will provide choral music.
Before the meeting, Earl Moffitt has kindly offered to provide a meal for those who wish it at his house, The Old School, Salter's Grange at 5.30pm. This will cost £10 per head, proceeds to the Lowry Singers. Accommodation for the meal is limited, so please return the slip soon. Accommodation for the concert will not be a problem - bring your friends!
Kilmore lies to the north of the main road (A3) between Portadown and Armagh and is clearly signposted. I will send directions for Salters Grange to participants in the meal.
4th-6th May - MUSIC IN THE MIDLANDS
If any member still wishes to go on the Society's annual tour but has not notified the Treasurer, he/she should do so ASAP.
THE DUNLEATH ORGAN SCHOLARSHIP TRUST
Established in memory of the late Henry, Lord Dunleath, the Trust provides funds to assist young organists in travelling to further their studies. Applicants must be aged 25 or under and born in, or resident in for a minimum of three years, Ireland (North or South). The Hon. Sec. has further details, or they can be obtained from Dr. Desmond Hunter, Dept of Music, University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Newtownabbey BT37 0QB (fax: 028 9061 2224), email: d.hunter@ulst.ac.uk.
Younger members wishing to attend, for example, Oundle are urged to apply - closing date is 30th April.
IAO in Paris! USOC members intending to go to Paris with the IAO in July are asked to contact our President, Rodney Bambrick, on 028 9046 5222.
Committee members are reminded that there will be a committee meeting on Saturday 20th April at Malone Presbyterian Church (corner of Lisburn Road and Balmoral Avenue, near the newly-pink King's Hall) at 3.00pm.
Courses The Secretary has details of the following courses. If interested, please contact (best bet is to leave a message on my mobile as I will be in Orkney during Easter Week: 07788 146953):
Conductors' Weekend Workshop April 12th-14th in Glasgow ,
directed by Ulsterman Christopher Bell.
abcd Singposium 2002 - July 2nd, Purcell Room, London. Many aspects of vocal coaching.
abcd Convention 2002 - 23rd-25th August at York University
Our thanks and best wishes go to Martin White, Organist & Master of the Choristers at St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, who has announced his retirement after 34 years. Martin maintained his choir of men and boys through hair-raising times during the Troubles and nourished the tradition of cathedral music when it could quite easily have disappeared. He kept the cathedral organ playing, often by dint of long hours of personal labour, until he was rewarded by the fine rebuild and restoration carried out a few years ago by the Wells-Kennedy Partnership. He is a superb organist, with a gift for extemporisation which rivals that of the French masters. The Church of Ireland has much to thank him for, not least for his contribution to the special atmosphere and ambience of Armagh Cathedral. There are many in the Province and elsewhere who have benefited from his skills and advice, of whom your Secretary is one, while in the wider world hundreds have been encouraged by his work as an Associated Board examiner. We wish him and Noreen all the best in the years to come.
We welcome to membership of the Society Fiona Stanfield BA(Hons.),MSc, ACCA, of Newtownards.
If you have an e-mail address, but you received this bulletin by snail-mail, please drop the Secretary a line. The response from members who have received bulletins by e-mail has been very favourable and using this medium saves money in postage and paper, besides being less time-consuming! I hope to have a final check on e-mail (and other) addresses before sending out a revised membership list next month.
JUBILATE - A Golden Fanfare of Voices combining two of the province's vocal groups Cadenza & Grosvenor Chorale with Festival Orchestra and Soloists will present a banquet of music in Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, Belfast on Thursday 18th April 2002 at 8pm. The highlight will be Charpentier's 'Te Deum' and other items to be performed include I was Glad- Parry, O Praise the Lord - Handel, Zadok the Priest - Handel, For lo I raise up- Stanford, Crucifixus - Lotti (8 part) and Fauré's delightful Cantique de Jean Racine. Tickets £10 (£7 students & under 18's) are available from Matchetts and Belfast Music Supplies, any choir member or website: www.grosvenorchorale.com Programme includes light refreshments.
USOC members Michael McCracken and Edward Craig (directors of Cadenza and Grosvenor Chorale respectively) would very much appreciate your support for this event as the costs in presenting it are quite considerable. Please come along to what promises to be music fit for a Monarch! Even try to bring along a friend.
ULSTER SOCIETY OF ORGANISTS AND CHOIRMASTERS
MUSIC AT KILMORE - SATURDAY 13TH APRIL
Please book _____ places for a meal
Name _______________________________________________
Participants should return this slip to the Secretary with all speed.
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