60K

For Immediate Release

Mornington Singers Perform Carols Old and New!

Dublin, 17 November 2005

Why not come along to carols with a difference this Christmas season? The Mornington Singers will perform contemporary carols alongside more traditional ones in the Handel courtyard on Fishamble Street at 6.30pm on 8 December 2005.

As well as your old favourites you will have an opportunity to hear carols written by Irish composers. Joseph Groocock's A hymne on the nativitie of my saviour; Declan Townsend's And all the stars looked down and Eric Sweeney's Three carols will be performed. The carol service will last 30 minutes and will be followed by seasonal refreshments in the Contemporary Music Centre (CMC).

The Handel courtyard were the carol service will take place is located right beside CMC. The courtyard is called after George Frideric Handel the composer who came to Dublin in 1741. It is located on the site where the Musick Hall once stood which housed the first performance of Handel's Messiah on 13 April 1742.

Speaking about the event Karen Hennessy, Promotion Manager, CMC, said "it is very appropriate to hold our Christmas event of carols old and new in the Handel courtyard. It reflects the coming together of music old and new that exists in Fishamble Street through the Handel connection and the work that we do for contemporary composers."

The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland's national archive and resource centre for new music, supporting and developing the work of composers throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. It is used on a national and international basis by performers, composers, promoters and members of the public interested in finding out more about music in Ireland.

The Mornington Singers is a dynamic and ambitious ensemble that performs regularly throughout the year in numerous venues in Ireland and abroad. Awarded first prize in the National Competition for Chamber Choirs at the Cork International Choral Festival 2004, the Mornington Singers has established itself as one of Dublin's premier chamber choirs.

Orla Flanagan, conductor of the Mornington Singers since 2002, is also a lecturer in the School of Music in Trinity College, Dublin and at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. She was recently appointed the first Kodály Institute Liaison for Ireland.

For further information please contact Karen Hennessy, The Contemporary Music Centre, 19 Fishamble Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 8. Tel: 01 673 1922 or email: khennessy@cmc.ie web site: www.cmc.ie