Choral Festival gets underway in Navan

Navan Choral and Instrumental Festival which takes place from 3rd to 13th May hosts competitions for primary school choirs, post primary/youth choirs, adult choirs, solo singers, pianists, instrumentalists and 'Young Opera Voice'.

Significant events are the Young Opera Voice competition on Saturday 12th May at 8pm in St Mary’s Church of Ireland, while the concluing Rotary Club of Navan National Choir of the Year competition is in the Newgrange Hotel on Sunday 13th May at 7.30pm. Admission is free to both events.
The 39th Navan Choral and Instrumental Festival takes place at various venues around Navan, including the Newgrange Hotel, St Mary’s Church of Ireland, St Mary’s Church, Simonstown GAA Centre and Columbanus Hall. This year entries for the various competitions have increased again.
A new showcase for the festival for 2018 is the addition of instrumental competitions. These competitions will cater for strings, brass, woodwind and percussion instruments, and are introsduced alongside the well- established piano competitions. The festival directors are working in close partnership with the Royal Irish Academy of Music to develop these competitions.
More and more students these days actively consider the arts as a potential part-time or full-time profession. With that in mind, a new competition called Young Opera Voice was introduced in 2016. This competition showcases the most talented young opera singers studying and training in Ireland and has already attained a ‘must-attend status’ with rising stars. Colman Pearce, principal guest conductor to the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra, will be adjudicating the Young Opera Voice competition and Adult Choir competitions this year.
With the support of Foras na Gaeilge, Navan Choral and Instrumental Festival gives choirs a great opportunity to compete in Irish. The festival hosts Irish language choral competitions for primary and post-primary school choirs, as well as youth and adult choirs. These competitions allow choristers to engage with and perform traditional Irish songs, and also new pieces written by Irish composers.
The festival appreciates the support from local businesses and the county council, and the aim of the festival is to increase the impact on the local economy.
The public is invited to attend the competitions, free of charge, to experience and enjoy the richness of the many performances.

 

The Schedule

 

Thursday  3rd May
Navan Choral& Instrumental  Festival: Primary Schools Choir Competitions. Simonstown GAA Centre.9.30am to 2.00pm

Saturday 5th May
Navan Choral & Instrumental Festival:   Piano Competitions: Columbanus Hall 10.00am to 4.30pm and St Mary’s Church of Ireland 10.00am to 4.30pm.
Sunday 6th May
Navan Choral & Instrumental Festival:   Instrumental Competitions for Brass, Woodwind, Strings and Percussion, Phoenix Theatre, Mercy Secondary School.10.00am to 4.30pm. Ensemble Fest: Mercy Secondary School : 10.00am to 4.30pm.
Thursday 10th May.
Navan Choral & Instrumental Festival: Post Primary Schools/Youth  Choir Competitions. Simonstown GAA Centre 9.30am to 12.30pm and 3pm to 4.00pm and St Mary’s Church 1.00pm to 4pm.
Friday 11th May:
Navan Choral & Instrumental Festival: Workshop for Primary School Teachers: “It’s the taking Part that Counts” Newgrange Hotel 9.30am to 4pm.
Saturday 12th May: 
Navan Choral & Instrumental Festival:   Solo Singing competitions: St Mary’s Church of Ireland 9.30am to  1.30pm.  Young Opera Voice Competition : Qualifying Round 2.30pm and Evening Performance 8pm in St Mary’s Church of Ireland.
Sunday 13th May.
Navan Choral & Instrumental Festival: Adult Choir Competitions, Newgrange Hotel 10.30 am to 5.00pm and St Mary’s Church of Ireland. 1.30 pm to 5pm
National Choir of the Year Competition Newgrange Hotel 7.30pm.