2025
Songs for a Summer’s Evening
Returning to the Mermaid Arts Theatre for 2025
St. Voices of Bray Community Choir is delighted to return to the Mermaid Theatre and cordially invites you to ‘Songs on a Summer’s Evening’! The choir will perform an exciting and uplifting programme featuring an eclectic mix of musical genres and styles that will have you singing and clapping along. So, come along and enjoy music from Coldplay, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, The Carpenters, Eric Whitacre and many more, as well as a selection of songs from the musicals. There is something for everyone to enjoy.
The choir has a proud record of supporting local charities through its performances. The proceeds from this year’s concerts are in aid of Ark Housing Association.
2024
Songs for a Winter’s Night
St. Fergal’s Church, Killarney Road, Bray (A98 FP93)
Sunday 1st December at 7.30pm. (Doors open 6.45pm)
The Voices of Bray Community Choir is delighted to announce our Annual Christmas concert. As always, the VOB will be donating all concert proceeds to a great local cause. This year, it’s Living Life Counselling – who have been providing mental health support & counselling, at a community level, in Wicklow for the last 28 years. They deliver close to 13,000 hours p.a. of counselling & support to people who otherwise would not be able to access this vital care.
Full of Christmas Favourites, this year’s VOB’s Christmas Concert, will get everyone in the mood for the festive season!
As always, the concert will be under the outstanding leadership of their musical director and founder, John Ivory, who will be ably accompanied on piano by Justin McCann’s exceptional expertise!
This is a ticket-only event. Tickets can be purchased in advance here from the choir website: – www.vobcc.org/events or from any choir member. Tickets are €12 per person.
P.S. For a little extra comfort, you might like to bring a cushion!
Living Life Counselling: LLC was established in 1996, and this Nonprofit, social enterprise provides affordable therapy to people who are unemployed, on social welfare, or low incomes. This vital community based mental health service is provided by 86 therapists, helping 250 approx. people per week, from their two centres in Bray and Arklow. Living Life Counselling provide support to people facing a range of issue: depression, crime victims, drug dependence, stress, anxiety, loss, abuse relationships issues, eating disorders & suicidal thinking.
Website: https://livinglifecounselling.com
Centres Manager: Rebbeca Mullen
eMial: info@livinglifecounselling.com
Phone: 01 2866729
Culture Night – Friday September 20th 2024 between 6:45pm and 7:45pm
The National Gallery of Ireland – Merrion Square Entrance
The Voices of Bray Community Choir is excited to invite you to our upcoming performance as part of Culture Night. This event will be a celebration of music, bringing together voices from across our community to share the joy and beauty of choral singing.
Our diverse program will feature a range of pieces, from classic choral works to contemporary favorites. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or a new friend of the choir, this performance promises to be a memorable experience for all.
We can’t wait to share this special evening with you. Bring your friends, family, and neighbours, and let’s fill the space with the sound of unity and harmony!
Merrion Square entrance, a short walk from the Dart, Bus and Luas.
Voices of Bray Community Choir – Summer Concert 2024
St. Fergal’s Church, Killarney Road, Bray
Sunday 5th May at 7.30pm.
OH WHAT A NIGHT !
We certainly sang ourselves and the audience into summer with our concert this May in a packed St. Fergal’s church.
From Rutter to Radiohead and in between the choir performed a range of styles with music from Phantom of the Opera through to Elton John and Coldplay. It was a wonderful evening as we sang our way through a selection of songs from our repertoire collected over the last 11 years. A very special mention for our fabulous special guest, Soprano Anna Forsyth who brought the house down with two beautiful classics from the classical stage. When the final notes faded away and the choir left the stage, the overwhelming feeling of joy was everywhere! We raised the roof and raffled 10 superb hampers, while raising vital funds in support of our charity partner on the night, the Wicklow hospice.
Welcome to the Voices of Bray- Community Choir- Summer Concert 2024! Join us for an evening of beautiful melodies and harmonies at St Fergal’s Church, Bray.
Our talented choir directed by John Ivory and accompanied by Justin McCann with special guest Soprano Anna Forysth will showcase their vocal talents in a variety of musical genres. Sit back, relax, and let our voices transport you to a world of music and joy.
Don’t miss out on this special event that celebrates the power of music and community. All proceeds will go to the Wicklow Hospice. See you there!
2023
St. Fergal’s Church, Killarney Road, Bray
Sunday 3rd December at 7.30pm.
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.
Voices of Bray Community Choir Celebrates 10th Anniversary
June 8th 9th and 10th, at the Mermaid Arts Theatre Bray at 8pm.
After a 4-year gap, the Voices of Bray Community Choir returned to the Mermaid Arts Centre for its summer concert series. This year is extra special as the choir celebrates its 10th anniversary and the choir was thrilled to sing to a packed house on all three nights.
Apart from celebrating what has been achieved from a singing perspective, the choir’s anniversary also marks ten years of fundraising for local charities. During that time the choir has raised and donated over €75,000 benefitting 17 different local charities. For this summer series the choir is delighted to be partnering with St. Joseph’s Shankill – Dedicated to Dementia Care.
Founded in 2013, the choir focuses mainly on popular music repertoire with the occasional dip into other genres. Membership of the choir, which is open to adults on a non-audition basis, stands at 130 and is limited only by the size of available rehearsal and performance spaces. Such is the demand for places that there is often a lengthy waiting list.
For many members, Voices of Bray has provided their first experience of singing in a choir. For Musical Director John Ivory, one of the challenges is choosing a repertoire that is accessible to less experienced singers, and yet provides a challenge to the more experienced members – a balance that so far has proved very successful in the development of the choir.
The choir is always seeking new challenges. To date they have participated twice in the North Wales Choral Festival and most recently in 2020 – just before Covid shut down most of the arts industry – the choir achieved 2nd place in the community choir section of the Limerick Choral Festival. That was the choir’s last public performance until our Christmas Concert in December 2022.
2022
Voices of Bray Community Choir Returns with “Welcome to Christmas” Concert
St. Fergal’s Church, Killarney Road, Bray
Sunday 4th December at 7.30pm.
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 8th-10th.
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2021 – Lockdown
2020
Coming in June – Mermaid Summer Concerts – Bray [Cancelled Due to Covid-19].
Voices of Bray Community Choir returns to the Mermaid Theatre, Bray, for another season of concerts on 4th, 5th and 6th June, 2020
Lots of new songs in this year’s programme with music from Queen, David Bowie, Snow Patrol, Paul McCartney and many more, plus some favourites from the musicals. As always there will be something for everyone in what promises to be a fun evening of uplifting entertainment. Concert proceeds in aid of St. Joseph’s Shankill – dedicated to dementia care.
Tickets available from the Mermaid closer to the time.
Limerick Choral Festival – February 29th 2020
Momentous Occasion for Voices of Bray Community Choir
Storm Jorge didn’t deter Voices of Bray Community Choir from travelling to the Limerick Choral Festival to compete in their first choral festival in Ireland. This well-established choral festival has a Community Choir section, which attracts community choirs from all over the country.
Voices of Bray was the first choir to perform in this section and the choir then enjoyed and appreciated the quality of the other competing choirs. When the adjudicators announced the results in reverse order, with Nas Na Rí (Kildare) receiving the Highly Commended Certificate, following an excellent performance, Voices of Bray assumed they would not be in the winners enclosure this time. So, when Voices of Bray was announced as being awarded 2nd place, the choir nearly brought the roof down with their cheers and applause. Belle Voci (Tipperary) were very deserving winners, by one point.
Musical Director, John Ivory and accompanist, Justin McCann, together with the choir were overjoyed with such a great result. John Ivory said ‘Voices of Bray worked very hard to achieve this success. This result represents a big step forward for the choir’. Rehearsals are now focused on preparing for the annual concerts in the Mermaid Theatre, which will take place this year on 4th to 6th June.
2019
Christmas Concert 8th December
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.
Pre Concert news:
Welcome to Christmas! A date for your diary, December 8th at 7:30pm in St Fergal’s Parish Church, Bray. We hope to see you there. But hurry, as these tickets sell-out in no time. You can get tickets directly from the Choir (just email us voicesofbray@gmail.com ) or from the St Fergal’s parish office.
…...jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.…..
Summer Concerts – 6th to 8th June
The summer series of three concerts held in the Mermaid Theatre, Bray were an outstanding success again this year. Under the guidance of their Musical Director John Ivory, piano accompanist Justin McCann, and featuring special guests Eimíle Sheehy on cello and Killian Ivory on guitar, the choir took on its most ambitious and varied programme to date, featuring more challenging arrangements.
The eclectic mix took the audience on a musical journey with songs from Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Radiohead, Rodgers & Hammerstein, ELO (and many more), and from shows such as The Greatest Showman, South Pacific and My Fair Lady. The Choir enjoyed singing this programme as much as the audience enthusiastically received it!
Following the concert, a cheque for €6,500, being the the proceeds from the concerts, was presented to the Shauna Kavanagh Foundation. In accepting the cheque, Brendan Kavanagh said that this would help the Foundation enormously in their efforts to assist the families of those suffering from the long term illness, Cystic Fibrosis by helping to offset the day-to-day expenses incurred by families as they support their loved ones. Brendan thanked the Choir for their very generous donation and for the opportunity to highlight their Foundation, which was founded in 2018, following the death of his daughter, Shauna, who so bravely fought Cystic Fibrosis.
2018
Christmas Concert 9th December
Voices of Bray Community Choir, under the direction of John Ivory, and accompanied by Justin McCann on piano, presented their 4th Annual Christmas Concert in St. Fergal’s Church, Bray, on Sunday 9th December. The programme featured Christmas and seasonal favourites old and new along with some unusual arrangements of Christmas favourites.. The second half of the concert featured a visit from Santa Clause and his many Elves.
Following the concert a cheque for €2,620, being the proceeds of the concert, was presented to Lakers; this local organisation aims to enable children and adults with an intellectual disability to develop and nurture their own personal skills and self-esteem in a supportive, inclusive and fun environment. A fire destroyed Lakers’ premises and their fleet of buses in October, so this contribution was very timely indeed.
North Wales – Coral – November.
This was our second visit to the North Wales Coral, held in Llandudno, November 2nd to 4th.
Summer Concerts – 7th to 9th June
Summer concerts in the Mermaid Arts Theatre, Bray
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