There’s a big treat in store this Saturday afternoon when a special concert called ‘Songs at Summer’s End’ takes place in the Augustinian Church in Shop Street featuring the combined harmonies (and guaranteed craic) from the ladies of Voices of the Boyne community choir, as well as a visiting choir from the UK, the Maureen Hunter Singers.
Normally the choir takes a break at this time of the year but, between walking the Boyne Valley Camino on Saturday raising €3,300 for ABACAS, and rehearsing for this concert, the fabulous women from Voices of the Boyne have reformed earlier than expected.
“The choir usually finishes out the choral year in June with a concert, however following an invitation from The Maureen Hunter Singers from Hull, England to share a concert with them at the end of August, a different plan was made,” explains Musical Director Claire Grogan.
“The concert will be a mixed bag of well-known and uplifting songs from both choirs. It is sure to leave you feeling joyous and ready to take on those school uniforms and homework”!
Voices of the Boyne is a choir made up of around 80 women from the Drogheda area, and they meet every Wednesday to rehearse, sing, chat and well, chat some more!
They formed in September 2018, after founder Louise Mahony posted on Facebook asking whether anyone would be interested in singing in a community choir. The rest is history!
“I just wanted to have a chance to sing in a women’s choir and there wasn’t one here,” says Louise. “So we put it on Facebook and the next thing you know we are meeting on a Wednesday evening.”
“The arrangements are picked specifically by Claire for the voices we have. No one voice is more important than any other. And together over 80 voices are blending together in harmonies that are making a big difference in the lives of each member… and in the future of our community”.
After only year together, they sampled the sweet taste of success on their first ever competitive outing in May 2019, when they took the top prize for new and emerging choirs at the Mayo International Choral Festival.
The all-female choir wowed the judges in Castlebar with their beautiful rendition of Eric Whitacre’s haunting ‘Seal Lullaby’ and a rousing version of the jaunty Czech folk song ‘Stodola Pumpa’.
When COVID struck, the ladies moved online, and recorded two amazing projects, ‘We are One’ and ‘Never one Thing’, the latter bound to be a crowd pleaser on Saturday, along with some new, never performed live, tunes.
The choir would really love to see all their regular friends and supporters, plus new fans, at this lovely event, to enjoy them and the visitors from Hull in England.
The Maureen Hunter Singers have been giving musical pleasure since the Choir was formed in 1984 with just 11 members; now there are about 60 young ladies in the Senior Choir and 25 children in the Junior Singers.
Every year of the Choir’s existence has been marked with outstanding concerts, competitions or international tours and have sung for royalty, and now the lucky people of Drogheda.
The concert starts at 5pm on Saturday August 31st and runs to about 6.30pm.
Tickets priced €15 are available from EventBrite
