Choral Scholars Of University College Dublin Come to Carnegie Hall

On March 15th, the Choral Scholars of University College Dublin will celebrate their 20th anniversary and the release of their new Signum recording, Perpetual Twilight, with a performance at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Under the artistic direction of Desmond Earley, the Choral Scholars has become Ireland's leading collegiate choral ensemble.

Timed to coincide with St. Patrick's Day, the Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall performance entitled Imagine Ireland: Songs of Home and Perpetual Twilight due for release on March 1st feature a collection of new choral music inspired by the evocative imagery of the natural world in traditional Irish and Scottish folksong and poetry. The Carnegie program showcases world premiere compositions as well as new arrangements of classics such as Danny Boy, My Love is like a Red Red Rose, and Mo Ghille Mear (My Gallant Hero). The choir will be joined by a host of Ireland's leading instrumentalists, from bodhr n to harp to clarinet. Complete program is below.

"Song is central to the Irish musical imagination," Earley recently told public radio's New Classical Tracks. "And a glimpse at Irish history would reveal a whole catalog of songs exploring themes of loss, happiness, emigration, lamenting. In Gramophone Magazine, Earley went on to say, It is not difficult to see why song is so important (perhaps now more than ever) to Irish culture and the Irish musical imagination: song is about identity, relating back to our shared history, and it is about the future."

Perpetual Twilight is the follow-up to the Choral Scholars of University College Dublin's bestselling 2016 album Invisible Stars, their debut album of Irish and Scottish choral music on Signum Records. With over 1.5 million streams on Spotify, Invisible Stars was one of the most successful choral releases of 2016.

Since its founding in 1999, the choir has maintained strong links with its family of over two hundred alumni. With a focus and inspiration found in the music and literature of Ireland, the ensemble's song collection ranges from contemporary choral music to the re-imagining of Irish traditional music.

The Choral Scholars is an internationally acclaimed chamber choir of gifted student singers led by founding Artistic Director, Dr Desmond Earley, based at University College Dublin School of Music. Scholars come from various academic disciplines and commit to an intensive program of choral study. Throughout each semester they receive intense vocal coaching, language instruction, and performance-practice studies.

Since its formation in 1999, the choir has maintained strong links with its family of over two hundred alumni who often return to perform with the ensemble on the national and international concert stage. With a classical focus, and an inspiration found in the music and literature of Ireland, the ensemble's repertoire ranges from contemporary choral music to the re-imagining of Irish traditional song. What differentiates the Choral

Scholars from other choirs is a strong national identity, a commitment to artistic excellence, an ambitious vision, a joyful camaraderie and a dynamic, youthful sound.

The choir frequently performs with Ireland's leading instrumentalists and orchestras and has in recent years collaborated with the RTE Concert Orchestra and the European Union Chamber Orchestra. In touring the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, the group has brought University College Dublin and its music to an international audience. The choir regularly broadcasts on television and radio. Notable recent appearances include Centenary (RTE), for which the ensemble provided the choral soundtrack. Concerts with Hans Zimmer and Ennio Morricone are among their recent prestigious collaborations.

The performance and commissioning of works by living composers is a hallmark of this ensemble. New compositions have been written for the group by Ivo Antognini, Eoghan Desmond, Desmond Earley, Colin Mawby, Michael McGlynn, Timothy Stephens, and Bill Whelan.

In December 2015 the group released their debut international album on Signum Records, which has been well received by audiences and critics alike in the UK, USA and Germany. The disc, titled Invisible Stars, is a collection of traditional and contemporary choral music from Ireland and Scotland and features arrangements and new compositions by some of Ireland's most celebrated composers.

Where: Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall located at 7th Avenue & 57th Street, New York, NY

Tickets: CarnegieHall.org

CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh