Biography - New Dublin Voices
New Dublin Voices was founded by conductor Bernie Sherlock in October 2005. It has since become a leading Irish chamber choir presenting concert programmes that are fresh, innovative, and exciting, ranging widely in style and period from the medieval to the contemporary. The choir takes special pleasure in exploring the often weird and wonderful music of living composers, and strongly believes that NDV performances win over audiences to new music. NDV has given many Irish premières - including James Macmillan's Cantos Sagrados and Penderecki's Stabat Mater - as well as several world premières of works by Irish composers.
The choir has been a regular participant in competitions since 2006. Awards include National Choir of the Year in 2006, 2008 and 2009 (Navan Choral Festival); National Choir of the Festival at the Cork International Choral Festival 2006 (and three other awards); the Schütz Trophy in the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition in Cork 2007; first-prize in both mixed-choir competitions at the Dublin Feis Ceoil in 2006, 2007, 2008; three first-prizes and the Rosebowl Award at the 2008 Bangor International Choral Festival; the prize for 'Best New Work' at the 2008 Florilège Vocal de Tours (France); and the inaugural first-prize from Lyric fm for best performance of a specially commissioned Christmas carol in December 2008.
Earlier this year New Dublin Voices won the Grand Prix at the 12th Budapest International Choir Competition where Bernie Sherlock also received the award for best conductor. Prior to traveling to Hungary the choir won the inaugural ESB Choir of the Year at the Dublin Feis Ceoil where it also took first prizes in the Mixed Choir and Adult Choir competitions.
As well as concerts and competitions, NDV maintains a busy calendar of other activities including fund-raising - most recently a charity concert for neglected children in the Philippines - and television appearances -- notably appearing with The Priests in their debut Armagh concert broadcast nationwide in the USA and Canada - and various special public events, including the official launch in October 2008 of the Irish Arts Council's first ever policy document for choral music, Raising Your Voice.
The singers who make up New Dublin Voices come from many backgrounds but share in common high levels of experience and musicianship, a commitment to attracting new audiences, and above all a love of performing excellent choral music.
Irish/World Premieres (IP/WP)
Cantos Sagrados, James MacMillan (Scotland) (IP)
geben, Garrett Sholdice (Ireland) (WP)
Missa Tertia, Miklós Kocsár (Hungary) (IP)
Stabat mater, Janós Vajda (Hungary) (IP)
Sweet and Sour Nursery Rhymes, Libby Larsen (USA) (IP)
Lux aeterna, Ian McDonnell (Ireland) (WP)
fall approaches, Linda Buckley (Ireland) (WP)
Upon his departure hence, Michael Fleming (Ireland) (WP)
Three meditations for twenty voices, Daniel Jacobson (Ireland) (WP)
Sea Swell, Enda Bates (Ireland) (WP)
...[and] in the end, with so much swelling silence, why bother to make sounds at all?, Jonathan Nangle (Ireland) (WP)
Des Stimme des Kindes, Jaako Mäntyjärvi (Finland) (IP)
Announcements, Jaako Mäntyjärvi (Finland) (IP)
Canticum calamitatis maritimae, Jaako Mäntyjärvi (Finland) (IP)
Ludus Verbalis, Einojuhani Rautavaara (Finland) (IP)
Sügismassticud, Veljo Tormis (Estonia) (IP)
Benedictio, Urmas Sisask (Estonia) (IP)
Stabat Mater, Krzysztof Penderecki (IP)
