Events

The Voices of Bray Community Choir was delighted to continue its long-running Christmas celebration in St. Fergal’s Church on December 3rd last. The choir, under the direction of John Ivory and accompanied on piano by Justin McCann, entertained the packed audience with a heart-warming programme of seasonal songs and carols from across the ages. The audience was also treated to a visit from Santa and his elves, ensuring that there was something for all ages. This year the concert was staged to raise funds for the local Sunbeam House Services, a charity organisation with a long-standing commitment to people of Bray and the surrounding area, providing fantastic services and support for those with specific needs in our community. Thanks to the huge turnout for the concert, €5,610 was raised for the charity. The choir also made a donation to St. Fergal’s parish which has hosted the choir’s Christmas concerts since 2015.

After a three-year absence due to Covid restrictions, Voices of Bray Community Choir was delighted to return to St. Fergal’s Church on December 4th last. The choir, under the direction of John Ivory and accompanied on piano by Justin McCann, performed a heart-warming programme of songs. The packed audience – a full-house of over 650 – responded enthusiastically to the choir’s singing of many Christmas favourites old and new, supplemented by a selection of songs from the musicals including “The Sound of Music”, “The Wizard of Oz” and a medley of hits from “My Fair Lady.”

The concert was staged for the benefit of the local St. Clare’s Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul, a charity which has been doing fantastic work for many years for those most in need in our community. Thanks to the huge turnout for the concert, €5,600 was raised for the charity. The choir also made a donation to St. Fergal’s parish which has hosted the choir’s Christmas concerts since 2015. Voices of Bray now turns its attention to 2023 and in January will begin preparations on a new programme of songs for its summer concerts which take place in the Mermaid Arts Centre from June 8^th-10^th.

The weather outside may have been frightful as storm ‘Atiyah’ blew its hardest but there was a wonderful warm festive atmosphere in a packed St. Fergal’s Church for Voices of Bray Community Choir’s fifth Christmas Concert.  The Choir under Musical Director, John Ivory and accompanist, Justin McCann, was joined by young talented musicians;  Eimile Sheehy (cello), Killian Ivory (guitar) and Chris Smith (violin).  Niall Sheehy, who has played the West End and featured in Les Miserables joined as special guest singer for ‘You Raise Me Up’ and then entertained the audience with his rendition of ‘A Winter’s Tale’.  All the musicians have family members in the Choir, which made it all the more special.

The Choir received a rapturous reception to their programme of traditional Christmas music covering the range from pop (Wonderful Christmas Time), to traditional carols (A Celtic Silent Night, Christmas Lullaby) via a lively a-capella version of Teddy Bear’s Picnic.  The successful evening concluded with the presentation of a cheque for €3,500 to St. Clare’s Conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.  What a wonderful way to get everyone into the spirit of Christmas. All the members of Voices of Bray Community Choir thoroughly enjoyed themselves all the while entertaining a marvellous audience and raising much needed funds for the local community.