St. Cecilia's College choir celebrate their success at Choral Festival

The singers were awarded first place in the Unison/2-part Post-Primary competition last week.

And the choir members most certainly lived up to the school’s motto of Aspire, Endeavour and Achieve when they were awarded an outstanding mark of 92.4. The choir were prepared to a high standard by Mrs Claire Mc Girr (Choir Director) and Mr Christopher Kerrigan (Conductor) both of whom are music teachers at the College.

The winning performance from the 80-strong choir was a rendition of ’The Sound of Music’ and ‘Benedictus and Hosanna.’

The choir frequently performs at a large variety of events, both in and out of school. Performance material is tailored to match the theme of individual events so they have a wide-ranging repertoire, consisting of both sacred and secular music.

The choir also use their talent to support local charities. They will next perform as part of the NSPCC Variety Concert in the Millennium Forum on Tuesday November 8. They will also sing carols at Foyleside Shopping Centre in December to support the charity, Save the Children. Most recently, Rachel McGowan and Emma Hutton, two year 13 choristers, volunteered to participate in recording the Foyle Hospice Christmas song which will be launched this Christmas. Pupils performed with Foyle Hospice patron, Bronagh Gallagher and with Paul Casey, Conor Mc Ginty and local schools.

This choir regularly competes locally and further afield and have enjoyed great success over the years including being crowned UTV Choir of the Year on numerous occasions.