Sibéal Ní Chasaide will join The Moy Singers as the special guest for their Christmas concert on Friday, December 1, in the Great National Hotel, Ballina. Mary Ruane Brogan, chairperson of the Moy Singers, said: “We are so honoured and excited to be welcoming such a high profile guest to Ballina for our annual Carols by Candlelight Christmas Concert.”
Ní Chasaide was described by critics as 'the voice that stirred a nation’ following her live performance of Mise Éire as part of RTÉ's '1916 Centenary' concert.
Her singing is deeply rooted in the rich tradition of sean-nós as well as other more classical and contemporary influences. Sibéal Ní Chasaide has performed as a guest soloist with the DIT Symphony Orchestra and with the Cross Border Orchestra. Her haunting interpretation of the games music lullaby 'Zelda', for which she wrote the lyrics in Irish, was the highlight of the first International Games Convention held in Dublin last year. This song will feature on a soon to be released music album, produced by the Grammy award winning producer, Craig Garfinkel. A rising star, Sibéal will feature on RTE's Christmas Eve concert this December.
John Feeley, classical guitarist will accompany Sibéal in Ballina. John Feeley teaches at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin. Feeley is internationally renowned as a performer and teacher, with appearances at such festivals as the Guitar Festival of Ireland, Bath International Guitar Festival, the Dundee International Guitar Festival, and the Wirral International Guitar Festival. He has won numerous awards including the Special Award for Interpretation in the 1984 Mauro Giuliani competition, Italy. He has appeared as a soloist with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and the Contempo Quartet. He is an enthusiastic champion of contemporary Irish music and has been described by the Washington Post as "Ireland's leading classical guitarist" and by Michael Dervan in The Irish Times as "a trailblazer ... when it comes to the guitar and guitar-playing in Ireland".
This year will be the 31st Christmas concert that the Moy Singers have staged in Ballina. Mary Ruane Brogan has issued a warm invitation to young and old to attend. “We are promising an outstanding evening’s entertainment. The audience will be treated to all the Christmas favourites including 'White Christmas', 'Ring Christmas Bells', 'Good King Wenseslas', 'Gaudete', 'O Holy Night', and much more. We will delight guests not only with our singing but also with professional artists that will accompany us, including cellist Anna Houston and our musical director, Jonathan Carter. Being a community choir it is important to continue the tradition of supporting local charities, and this year we will be supporting the local hospices in Mayo and Sligo."
The concert is expected to sell out with demand already high for tickets. Tickets for the concert can be purchased from choir members and from the Tourist Office on Pearse Street (096 ) 72800.
