Avaya Voice were singing on high after winning the top prize in the 2016 Galway Choir Factor Competition which took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel at the weekend.
Directed by Dympna O’Byrne, the choir saw off stiff competition from Notorious, Coole Voices and Aerogen Resonance to claim the Choir Factor trophy.
The 22 member choir delighted Saturday night’s audience with their programme which included Down by the Sally Gardens, The Banana Boat Song and the perennially popular When I Fall in Love.
Adjudicators for the competition Brendan O’Connor, Dottie Knauer and Michel Durham -Brandt congratulated Avaya Voice for their award winning performance and applauded all the choirs for the very high standard of choral singing.
Avaya Voice received a specially commissioned Liam Butler trophy and all choirs received an inscribed commemorative piece of the occasion.
The New Start Up Choir Category attracted great interest with performances from Testostertones, Moycullen Enchants & The Galway Sings Project. Winners on the night were Testostertones who delighted the audience with their rendition of an Abba Medley.
Organised by SCCUL Enterprises as as a fundraising initiative to help fund refurbishment of a Bungalow, which has been given by the Brothers of Charity on a long term lease in the grounds of Clarinbridge for use as a Sanctuary.
The event attracted a capacity audience of over 700 people. Guest performers on the night were the Medtronic Chorale directed by Ronan de Burca who won the title last year. The audience was also treated to a performance by the Galway Parkinson’s Choir directed by Michelle Tully who performed ‘A springtime melody.’
Speaking after the event, SCCUL Enterprises General Manager Michael Smyth thanked all the choirs and their choir directors& accompanist’s who participated in the event for their dedication and commitment to the novel initiative.
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the seven choirs who took part in the competition. Their Choir Directors: Peter Mannion, Tomás O’Cainte, Jenny Holland, Anna Downes, Lisa Seary and Dympna O’Byrne who worked extremely hard over the past eight weeks to create a show stopping performance here tonight.”
Michael Smyth paid tribute to the MCs on the night Trisha Murphy, Manager, SCCUL Sanctuary and Brian Duffy, Tri Everest Wealth Management Ltd. (Druid Theatre ), who moved the audience with stories and testimonials from clients of the Sanctuary.
Funds raised from the Galway Choir Factor competition will be used to enable a wide variety of groups such as Carers, those living with Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, Depression, Parkinson’s, early Dementia & Alzheimers, and those bereaved by suicide to benefit from healing therapies and wellbeing workshops in the Sanctuary.
