Thursday 28 August 1997 at 8.00 pm

Cois Cladaigh Chamber Choir

Cois Cladaigh, a Galway-based chamber choir, was established in 1982. Made up of singers from all walks of life, this choir specialises in European music from the late 15th and early 16th centuries and contemporary choral music, particularly from Ireland. The choir is conducted by Brendan O'Connor.

Cois Cladaigh has travelled widely throughout Ireland and has also made a number of European tours. The choir visited the USA in 1995. It has also acted as host to a number of visiting choirs from various parts of the world when their tour passed through Galway.

The choir has had considerable success in Competition, winning the premier national award on two occasions at Ireland's most important meeting, the Cork Choral Festival. Cois Cladaigh won first prize in the National Chamber Choir section of the Cork Festival in 1993. Cois Cladaigh were selected in 1995, 1966 and 1997 to take part in the International section of the Cork Choral Festival. The Choir has also won the prize for the best song sung in Irish at the Cork festival and trophies at other festival such as An tOireachteas and the Llandodno Choral Festival and several Street festivals.

Cois Cladaigh takes an active role in commissioning contemporary composers to write pieces for them. These include John Buckley, Mícheal Ó Suilleabháin, Hugh Kelly, Marion Ingoldsby, Peter Micheal Hamel and in 1994, Cois Cladaigh organised the visit to Ireland by the contemporary New Zealand composer, David Hamilton and also commissioned him.

Cois Cladaigh took part in a Famine Commemoration Week in Claremorris in August 1995 and part of their performance included the premiere of a specially commissioned work for the occasion. The composer was Martin O'Leary, the Dublin-born musician who lectures in the Department of Music in Maynooth University. This work was also performed in Boston in November 1995.

Cois Cladaigh are particularly interested in Monteverdi and commemorated the 350th anniversary of his death in 1993 by performing a selection of his madrigals and church music at two concerts in Galway. They are pleased to present some of this music in their Cathedral programme.