School Music Projects 1 Sing Out With Strings Limerick

Although very cold and icy, I braved the elements to hear the Christmas concert offered by the Sing Out With Strings Programme running in primary schools in the Southill Area of the Limerick city.  I took every turn off the Roxboro Roundabout except the one I needed and the concert was in full swing by the time I arrived at the large modern Holy Family Church. The ladies and gentlemen of the  Irish Chamber Orchestra were in place and accompanying a childrens choir  in a set of engaging jaunty songs on a Christmas theme, directed  by Tony Hunter.
 I heard two choirs and the group from St Mary's Boys School   certainly sang with great gusto.  It is so  encouraging to see a big group of boys in a choir instead of the token few in the school groups I have been familiar with .  The songs were the fruit of composition workshops run in the schools as part of  a choral strand of the project
Finally the string group took to the stage, the group comprising 40 or so students  and a large group of adults including   class teachers and several string teachers including Yuki Nishioka, Gillian Mott, Aine , Niamh Phelan and director Lisa Grosman and Kathleen  Turner herself.  The group played the first Suzuki variation on Twinkle in a call and response style and Jingle Bells with a pizz riff for the verse . They   looked the business.  I particularly liked the emphatic pizzicato in the verse part of Jingle Bells .

Katleen Turner Education Officer for the ICO said a few words, as did CEO of ICO, John Kelly. The church was a good venue for an event with several large groups; there was loads of room and the groups assembled and left the performing area smoothly enough. There was a  front pew of local dignitaries with a sprinkling of gold chains and there were several  press photographers, all of which  contributed to the buzz  around the event which is part of the Limerick Regeneration project.

ps My Irish Times  (22nd Dec)  has just arrived and there is a feature on the project and lots of nice pics some of which I have included below