It was a delight to see our first billboard on the Dublin Road into Cavan for the past few weeks. We finally presented our show in the Hotel Kilmore on Tuesday evening to a packed house - the most appreciative audience we could have asked for.
We had one choir, two orchestras, two bands, and in a new bold move - some dancers. We are used to singing with our musical director Eileen Tackney and our accompanist Sue Donohoe; on this occasion we had to build our stage AND an orchestra pit, as both of Sue's orchestras - the Sinfonia and the Youth orchestra, were joining us. We also had a wee trad band as well as our 'forever' favourite band of Peter (guitar), Paul (drums), and Jim (bass), joined on this occasion by John lending us some string sounds on the keyboard.
Eileen is our inspiration, and she and Sue put together a programme to challenge us and delight the audience. The choir and the musicians perfomed seperately and together, Eileen and Sue changing roles gracefully and seamlessly. Evin O'Meara also conducted the orchestras; our bass Hugh Tunney made us proud as he sang several solo pieces with the orchestras. In our own performaces we were also led by individual members of the choir, as listed beow in the programme list. In a surprise move this year, Eileen chose a piece wich called for dance moves and body percussion, so the plywood was added to the stage floor, the set dancing shoes were donned, and the audience was treated to a dozen dancing dames 'breaking it down'. Huh!
This concert was a great collaboration of talents from the community - the combination of voices with full orchestra was a thrill for us in the choir. At the end of the evening, as our chair Brian McKeever paid tribute to Eileen and Sue he also thanked all who had supported us in our work to make the concert happen - all listed below - and most imortantly for us, the audience; he ended with an invitation to people to consider joining us, espeically if they were tenors :)
So the now stage is packed away, accounts are settled, the choir is resting for the summer ... but the committee never sleeps ... they meet next week to tie up the last few threads and sew the seeds of plans for 2026-2027!
