At 11am Mass on Sunday 19th November 2023, Seán Doherty's new "Mass" was premièred by the Palestrina Choir, Organist Aleksandr Nisse, Soloist Nathan Phipps-O'Neill conducted by Blánaid Murphy. Monsignor Lorcan O'Brien was the Celebrant assisted by Deacon Tom Groves.
This was commissioned and fully funded by all the members of the 120 Committee.
This setting of the Mass is particularly evocative and sensitively written exploring the full range of dynamics and sonority of the Choir and of the organ at the Pro-Cathedral. It will certainly become a staple of the choir's Sunday repertoire. Thank you and many congratulations to Seán Doherty.
The première of this work was a very special moment in the celebrations of the Choir's 120th anniversary. 
                                  A live recording of the premi​ère will be available soon.

Presenter Molly O'Connor from RTÉ News2Day and her crew were at the Pro-Cathedral bright and early on morning of Wednesday 15th November. The Boy Choristers were joined by the boy and girl Junior Probationers (for the Palestrina Choir and for St Mary's Pro-Cathedral Girls' Choir). The Choristers were filmed at the Spire, at the Hand in the Department of Education and on the Pro-Cathedral steps in a spirited rendition of "Carol of the Bells". And some interviews took place. This clip will go out on RTÉ over the next couple of weeks. 

This was a very special evening which took place in St Kevin's Oratory at the Pro-Cathedral.
Noelle Dowling, Diocesan Archivist, gave a fascinating lecture on the correspondence and background leading up to the Choir being installed at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in 1903. She also spoke about key aspects of the Choir's first 20-30 years. 
An old 78 recording of the hymn "Sweet Heart Of Jesus", probably dating back to 1932, was played.
And there was then a fascinating round-table discussion with Professor Gerard Gillen, James Reynolds (Choir Librarian) and they were joined by Elizabeth O'Brien (wife of the late Oliver O'Brien, former Director of the Choir) and Noelle Dowling. Illustrating historical facts with manuscripts and original letters, with the sound world of 1932, with some insights into some of the interesting items in the Choir's extensive library and with  very funny stories and anecdotes, this was a most entertaining evening and an evening that will start the process of documenting the oral history of the Choir's first 120 years.

BROADCAST DATE WILL BE GIVEN OUT AS SOON AS THIS IS AGREED.

Yesterday we said good-bye to our wonderful Pierce Cullen.

​Pierce started out as an extremely able boy chorister at 8 years of age. I am pleased to say that I noticed very early on his talent and exceptional love of music.
He went on to become a fine Head Chorister and then a Junior Gentleman and  Gentleman of the Choir.

For the last nearly 2 years Pierce has been my Assistant.
Pierce has been superb in this role: he is leaving a wonderful legacy of excellent standards in training our boy choristers, designing our web-site, type-setting, composing and all round pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
It has been a source of great pride for me to see him grow into the wonderful musician that he is today.
I know that he will be greatly missed by the boys, the gentlemen and by all the musical staff at the Pro-Cathedral.
We all wish Pierce all the very best in the next phase of his professional development.
I know he will be no stranger to us.

Last day of choir year - Sunday 25th June 2023!
After an action-packed year, the choir is now on its summer break until September.
At the end of 11am Mass this morning, 25th June 2023, chorister Simon Maughan, who was graduating from the choir today, was presented with the Palestrina Choir Medallion to mark his sterling service as a choristers over the last 7 years. The whole community at the Pro-Cathedral wish to thank Simon and wish him all the very best.

Apart from the regular liturgies at which we sing, some high-lights this year have included:
Friends of Cathedral  Music Choral Vespers
Fauré Requiem performance in a November concert “Remembering”
Christmas Concert in the National Concert Hall
Art & Music on a Marian Theme in a collaboration with Adrian LeHarivel, National Gallery of Ireland
Choral Vespers on the Feast of the Annunciation
Mini tour to Cork and Mount Melleray Abbey
Tour to Palestrina and to Rome to sing at the Papal Mass for Pentecost, at the Irish College and in the Basilica of San Silvestro
Hosting visiting choirs from both Helsinki and Stockholm
Re-Joyce! Exploring James Joyce and sacred music in Ulysses and other works
A busy and most fruitful year!
We also said good-bye to assistant Pierce Cullen. Please see our next blog entry  about Pierce.

On 26th May, a group of 47 - 26 boy choristers, 14 Gentlemen, 5 Chaperones, our Choir Director and Cathedral Administrator flew to Rome. And, of course, many Parents independently made their way there too.
First stop was a wonderful afternoon in the City of Palestrina: a visit to the Museo Casa Natale, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the special opportunity of singing at all Palestrina programme – Missa Papae Marcelli, Ave Maria and Exsultate Deo – in the beautiful Cathedral in Palestrina (Duomo di Palestrina; Cattedrale di Sant'Agapito martire) and the opportunity to meet the Director and members of the Fondazione Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.

On a day of sight-seeing – Roman Rome – the Choir and friends were warmly welcomed by Fr Paul Finnerty to a reception and to sing at Mass at the Pontifical Irish College.

And then it was time to baton down the hatches and get ready for an early start to be in St Peter’s Basilica robed and seated by 8.30am for a rehearsal with the Sistine Chapel Choir under Monsignor Pavan and the Guido Choir under Fr Ramon before singing a 20 minute programme before Mass and joining in singing at the Papal Mass for the Feast of Pentecost on Sunday 28th May celebrated by Pope Francis. And then some much needed gelato and a most enjoyable visit to the Leondardo da Vinci museum.

On Monday, after a visit to the Baths of Caracalla and St Paul Outside The Walls, the Choir gave a recital, generously hosted by the Irish Ambassador to the Holy See, Frances Collins, in the exquisite Basilica of San Silvestro in Capite. And, on Tuesday, some last minute sight-seeing and shopping – Piazza Navona, Roman Stadium under the Piazza and the Pantheon and a last slice or two of piazza before heading to the airport with our wonderful guide Massimo. 

As we enter our last few days of preparations of our trip to Palestrina and to sing at the Papal Mass in St Peter’s Basilica on the Feast of Pentecost, it was special to sing Palestrina’s masterpiece Missa Papae Marcelli today at the Pro-Cathedral.
This Mass  was sung at Papal Coronation Masses (the last being the coronation of Paul VI in 1963) and it also holds a very important place in the history of the Palestrina Choir:

• This Mass was composed in honour of Pope Marcellus II, who was Pope for three weeks in 1555, is often cited as the most perfect example of rich, complex polyphony.
• in the late 16th century, a legend began that polyphony might have been banned by the Council of Trent because of the unintelligibility of the words, was the impetus behind Palestrina's composition of this mass. It was believed that the simple, declamatory style of Missa Papae Marcelli convinced Cardinal Carlo Borromeo, on hearing, that polyphony could be intelligible, and that music such as Palestrina's was all too beautiful to ban from the Church.
• The Palestrina Choir had its origins in a boys’ choir formed in the 1890’s by Dr. Vincent O’Brien, then a music teacher at St. Mary’s Place Christian Brothers School in Dublin. It was at a performance of Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli at St. Teresa’s Carmelite Church in Clarendon Street in 1898 that this choir, and its gifted director, first came to the attention of Edward Martyn.

And so today, celebrating the Feast of the Ascension, with next stop Cattedrale di Sant'Agapito martire, Palestrina on Friday at which we will sing the resplendant and powerful Missa Papae Marcelli, it was wonderful, and relieving, to hear the choir singing this polyphony in such a confident and shapely way.  
 
More information on the tour to Palestrina, St Peter’s Basilica and Basilica of San Silvestro to follow soon.

As part of the Palestrina Choir 120 celebrations, what a wonderful mini-tour to Cork City, Cobh and Mount Melleray Abbey.
The Choir had the great privilege of being part of the Cork International Choral Festival (thank you to Festival Artistic Director Peter Stobart) and to give concerts in two wonderful Cathedrals: St Fin Barre’s (Cork City) and St Colman’s (Cobh). The choir also had the special opportunity of joining with the Cathedral Choir of St Fin Barre’s in singing Choral Evensong wonderfully accompanied by Matthew Breen, newly appointed Assistant Director at St Fin Barre's. During this beautiful service, we were able to give a choir medallion to Christopher Costello, now in his 80s, who has spent his adult life in Cork, but who started out as a boy chorister in the Palestrina Choir. 

Holy Week and Easter liturgies may be still fresh in our memories but choristers are back with a bang, hitting the ground running. A great day was had today getting ready for "Palestrina Choir 120" outreach trip to Cork International Choral Festival and to Mount Melleray Abbey.
Boys made great progress on a whole range of repertoire for the trip whilst Parents and volunteers, co-ordinated by the Choir's wardrobe-mistress, Mary Sugrue, sorted choir uniform, choir bags and robes. It was quite the hive of activity upstairs in the choir area at the Pro-Cathedral.
Singing engagements:
lunchtime concert in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork, Friday 28th April at 1.10pm:
https://www.corkchoral.ie/festival_events/organ-recital-at-st-fin-barres-cathedral/
Choral Evensong in St Fin Barre's Cathedral, Friday 28th April at 6.15pm
St Fin Barre’s Cathedral Choir and the Palestrina Choir, St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral:
https://www.corkchoral.ie/festival_events/choral-evensong-at-st-fin-barres-cathedral/
Lunchtime concert in St Colman's Cathedral, Cobh, Saturday 29th April at 1.10pm:
https://www.corkchoral.ie/festival_events/choirs-at-st-colmans-cathedral-saturday/
Sunday morning Mass at 10.30am in Mount Melleray Abbey, Waterford:
https://mountmellerayabbey.org/

The ancient Service of Tenebrae anticipates the monastic offices for the last three days of Holy Week. Tenebrae means shadows or darkness and refers to the gradual extinguishing of candles and light as the service proceeds, until only one candle remains. Its light, too, is hidden, and a loud noise, the strepitus, is made symbolizing the death of Christ, his descent to the dead, and the earthquake at the time of the resurrection. Upon the return of the one candle, everyone leaves in silence.
The Tenebrae Hearse at the Pro-Cathedral has been dusted down, sequence of events has been rehearsed and the choristers are very excited about the strepitus and have even been given permission to bang their books increasingly loudly until the one lit candle is returned.
Here is the Hearse in the flower room being prepared for Wednesday's liturgy: