Who We Are |
Nás na Rí Singers are a mixed-voice choir of nearly 70 members, based in Naas, Co. Kildare. Members are drawn not just from Naas, but from all over Kildare, Wicklow and Dublin. Among our members are singers who have been proudly singing with us from the very first day, and singers who have been with us for just a few months.
The choir gathers on Thursday evenings, September to May, for rehearsals, coffee and chat at Scoil Bhríde, Sallins Road, Naas. We work hard and we sing hard, and regularly wind down at a local hostelry after practice! The choir performs at least two major concerts every year. The first, at Christmas, is in one of the local churches, while the second concert is usually in May at the end of the season. During the year the choir also accepts invitations to take part in other events. In recent years, the choir has returned to the competition circuit at major festivals throughout Ireland, including the Cork Choral Festival, the Arklow Music Festival and the Kilkenny Music Festival, winning several prestigious awards. They have also performed in many parts of Europe; Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, UK and most notably, in the Soviet Union in 1991, when they became the first Irish amateur choir to perform there. The choir has a very active outreach programme, including collaborations with young emerging musicians, local youth choirs and schools, and has been successful in raising thousands of euro for a number of local charities, including the Nás na Riogh Housing Association, McCauley Place; Our Lady & St David's Church Restoration Fund; St Vincent de Paul; Michael Garry House; HOPE(D); and the Scoil Bhríde Parents' Council. Members of the choir also perform annually at Christmas for the Mill Lane and Larchfield Nursing Homes. We hold open auditions in August of each year, and have welcomed almost 20 new members in recent years. In common with every choir in Ireland, we are always on the look-out for new male members, and sometimes sneak them in mid-year! |
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The wonderful photography on these pages is by Ana Dorado of ABD Photography,, a past member of our soprano line. Check out more of her work here... http://www.abdphotography.ie |