A weekend in Barcelona

From the minute the bus left Cavan to bring the Cavan Singers to Belfast for our flight to Barcelona spirits were high. A group of 51 people set off to enjoy themselves and take part in a weekend of music, sight seeing, shopping and fun. After months of rehearsals we knew our music and represented Ireland in two concerts over the weekend. The highlight of the weekend was the gala dinner on Saturday night when choirs from all over Europe sang their way through a wonderful meal hosted by the organisers of the weekend.

A weekend like that is not all about the music. It's about the singsongs, the retail therapy, the jokes on the bus and getting to know members of the choir that we don't get a chance to talk to at our busy Tuesday night rehearsals. Over the last 3 years we have visited Austria, Italy and Spain and I will always look back on those trips as some of the best times of my life. All our trips have been organised by Father Kevin Donohoe so we suggest he gets his thinking cap on again for next year. It wont matter where we go as long as it's with a great group of people like the Cavan Singers.

Busy times for Cavan Singers!

Plans for this winter term:
Already, since September we have been to Barcelona and back! We had a lovely trip , a good taste of the european stage and the joy of sharing music with choirs from other countries. Enjoy the videos. Thanks to Mags for helping with the blog and special thanks to Kevin who organised our trip to Spain.
We now look forward to the annual local musical events in Cavan working on music for the Carol Service in the Church of Ireland and the Cavan General Hospital in December.
The boys in the Barbershop Octet want to continue singing after their debut at the Proms last May. They will continue to rehearse every two weeks at 7.30 building a repertoire and hopefully performing very soon!
Of course, Cavan Singers have a special celebration coming up in 2009 so will keep you informed!
Choirs always need to improve and grow so 'Welcome' to all our members and of course our new members!

Singing with our Spanish hosts

We sang in the beautiful SantGaeita church with our Spanish hosts...

Cavan Singers on tour in Barcelona....

See Cavan Singers performance of Song of Jupiter in Barcelona on YouTube:

A great Proms 2008 for all concerned

By all accounts, everyone enjoyed the Cavan Singers performance at the 2008 (annual?) Proms hosted by the Lions Club. Here's a picture taken during the show...

Proms

Hope you all enjoyed the proms and well done to all! Will see some of you later in June but Happy Summer to all and see you in September.Thanks for all your work.

Once Upon A Time...

Thanks to Dermot McMonagle (Bass) for this account of the genesis of the choir...
In Autumn 1983, Pat Nally (Cavan VEC Adult Ed Officer), with support from Canons Dessie O’Dowd and George Millar, invited Colm Block to lead an open choral singing day for all interested. The day was such a success that a second was demanded. This came about on the last Saturday of January 1984 and, drawn by word of mouth, another large group gathered in Cavan Vocational School with Colm Block again directing. Sheet music was handed out (opening lines were ‘Summer is a coming in, loudly sing cuckoo’ - despite the heavy snow falling outside) and the group was singing in full harmony by the end of the day. After this session was over, like-minded people gathered and agreed to call a meeting to establish a Community Choir in Cavan. Some twenty people met in Cavan Vocational School on February 14^th 1984 - the Cavan Singers were born. First committee members appointed were

Chairman - Philip Cullivan RIP,

Vice-Chairman - Walter Myles,

Secretary - Jeannette Gibbs,

Assistant Secretary - Peter McCaul,

Treasurer - Martina Lee,

PRO - Mervyn Johnson RIP,

Musical Director - Martin Cahill,

Assistant Musical Director - Ellen Fleming.

Valentine’s night may have had less commercial appeal then, as four happily married couples were at that meeting - Phil & Dollé Cullivan, Mervyn & Peggy Johnston, Canon George & Olive Millar; Dermot & Phyllis McMonagle; also present were the newly elected committee members as well as Canon Dessie O’Dowd, Noel Monahan, Michael O’Beirne, Sally McKenna and Pearl Small.

First rehearsal was held on Tuesday 1st March 1984 in Cavan Vocational School. First pieces rehearsed were The Tin Soldier, Over The Waves, Speed Your Journey and Going Home. Attendances at rehearsal grew from the beginning; many various people came and went, but a solid core group stuck with it – and the rest is history.

At a Cavan VEC- hosted concert, The Cavan Singers gave their first public performance in Cavan Town Hall on November 13^th 1984, along with Virginia Choral Society, Kingscourt's St. Marys Brass & Reed Band and Comhaltas. In December 1984, the Cavan Singers performed and led the singing at the Christmas Carol and Readings Service in the Church of Ireland, Cavan, a tradition which has continued every December since.

Forthcoming dates

We will be busy in the next few weeks with the Lions Club 'Proms' in the Radisson Farnham Estate on Friday 13th and our participation in Cavan Summer Festival on 1st July. Choir members please keep these dates free and remember our next rehearsal for the Summer festival will take place in the Backyard Studios, Moynehall on June 8th from 2-4 p.m.
In the meantime, please learn words of songs for Summer Proms !
Winnie

Welcome Cavan Singers online!

Welcome to our Blog. Cavan Singers rehearse every Tuesday night in Cavan Golf club. At present we are in preparation for our performance at the Cavan Lions Club Summer Proms at the Farnham Radisson in June, and our collaboration with the Hallelujah Gospel Choir and the Song Sisters during the Cavan Music Festival in July. Here we are pictured in concert at Cavan Cathedral, conducted by our musical director Winnie Hughes.