Diocesan News11 Jun 15

Lord Lieutenant Highlights Value Of St Anne’s Choir School Project

St Anne’s Choir School

Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Belfast has said there is no other project in Belfast as important as St Anne’s Cathedral’s Choir School.

Mrs Fionnuala Jay–O’Boyle was speaking at an end of term concert staged by the children of the Cathedral’s Choir Schools on Sunday 7 June.

Mrs O’Boyle said the singing at the concert had been fantastic. “There is no more important project in Belfast than this project of music, of allowing these wonderful young voices to be heard,” Mrs O’Boyle said.

Some 100 pupils from Edenbrooke, Cliftonville Integrated and Sacred Heart primary schools took part in the concert, including members of the Cathedral Boys’ and Junior Girls’ Choirs, supported by the St Anne’s Senior Girls’ Choir.

Guided by the Cathedral’s talented musicians, the children sang a range of songs from the shows and pieces which they have been working on all year, singing in beautiful harmony.

Items in the programme included Consider Yourself, and Food, Glorious Food from Oliver by Lionel Bart; I Closed my Eyes fromJoseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber; and Grandfather Clock by Dunhill.

The children are all taught in school by singing teachers from St Anne’s Music Department – Catherine Harper, Thérèse Woodfield and Master of the Choristers David Stevens.

The Cathedral Choir School was launched in 2013 as a cross community outreach project focused on north Belfast

As well as teaching the children to sing choral music in a disciplined but fun manner, the project has enabled the Cathedral to recruit singers for its Boys’ and Junior Girls’ choirs. These children are transported by minibus from school to sing in the Cathedral itself.

The concert was an opportunity for family and friends to see just how much the children have achieved over the past year.

For further information contact Karen Bushby, Press Officer, St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on 07766 103880 or email Karen@belfastcathedral.org