President Michael D. Higgins has announced that a special set of musical performances recorded by Chamber Choir Ireland in Áras an Uachtaráin will be released to the public over the coming days in the run up to Christmas 2021.
The performances, conducted by Chamber Choir Ireland’s Artistic Director Paul Hillier, will be available on president.ie and on the President’s social media channels.
President Higgins said:
“I was delighted to recently welcome Paul Hillier and members of Chamber Choir Ireland to Áras an Uachtaráin where they delivered a number of beautiful performances. I am delighted to be able to bring these recordings, in full, to the public in the days running up to Christmas”
The first recording to be made available is a performance of ‘On Raglan Road’, featuring soloist Laura Lamph, which is now available for viewing. This year is the 75th anniversary of the first publication of Patrick Kavanagh’s poem in 1946, while it is also the 50th anniversary of the Dubliners’ initial 1971 recording of the work.
A number of Christmas carols from the recordings will be released over the coming days, as well as ‘The Deer’s Cry’ by Arvo Pärt, a piece of music which was performed at President Higgins’ first inauguration ten years ago in 2011.
The following is the full release schedule for the performances:
– On Raglan Road – Trad. Arr. Paul Hillier (Soloist: Laura Lamph) | Tuesday 14 December
– Away in a Manger – Trad. Arr. Paul Hillier | Friday 17 December
– Suantraí ár Slánaitheora – Fintan O’Carroll (Soloist: Charlotte Trepess) | Sunday 19 December
– The Deer’s Cry – Arvo Pärt | Wednesday 22 December
– A Babe is Born – Eoghan Desmond | Christmas Day 25 December
President Higgins became Patron of Chamber Choir Ireland in early 2021, this was their first time to perform in Áras an Uachtaráin.