15.04.2012
Trinity College Chapel Choir Celebrates 250 Years of Music
The chapel of Trinity College Dublin was filled with beautiful music at a Festival Eucharist to celebrate 250 years of the chapel choir. Former choir members joined current choristers along with former Archbishop of Dublin, John Neill and Senator Sean Barrett. The special service was broadcast live on Lyric FM. The choir was conducted by Margaret Bridge and the chapel’s musical director, Dr Kerry Houston, played the organ while Darren Magee and Fergal McMullen played fiddle and trumpet respectively.
The sermon was preached by the Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, Rt Revd Michael Burrows, himself a former Church of Ireland Chaplain of Trinity College. He recalled in his time as chaplain learning “the line” of every building putting up posters to advertise the music in the chapel. He said that the role of the chaplain was not simply a student service but to provide a service to the college. “I could not have done the work without the work of the choir and its music. This is a place where the whole college can come together. This is a place where the college can still have a proper familial feeling.”
At a reception following the service Dean of Residence and Church of Ireland chaplain, Revd Darren McCallig, paid tribute to all who made the service possible. Quoting the poet John O’Donoghue, Revd McCallig said: “music is what language would love to be if it could”. But he said that beauty did not happen by accident – it happened because talented people came together to rehearse so that everyone who came through the chapel door got a “moment of peace and beauty”.
Director of music at the chapel, Dr Kerry Houston, thanked all who had travelled long distances to join the celebration. “The value here is that we do this week by week and what we do week by week is what makes this so valuable.” He thanked Margaret Bridge for conducting the choir so magnificently and organ scholar, Kevin O’Sullivan.
Provost Prendergast observed that living in the Provost’s house, he had the opportunity to cross the cobbles and hear the uplifting music of the choir. He said the talent of the chapel choir had been heard around the world and commented that they were proud of tradition and respectful of the past but that the choir was evolving and was dynamic and contemporary.